Newcastle United's preservation of impressive form despite the spate of injuries to key players is a glowing testament to the spirit and togetherness that manager Eddie Howe has instilled over the past two years.
Despite an early-season blip that yielded a three-match skid in the Premier League, Newcastle have been immense across the park and have climbed back up to fifth place in the table, now just four points off Liverpool and Arsenal in the top four.
And while successive defeats against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League have hindered the Magpies' chances of qualification to the knockout phase, they are still very much in with a shout with two matches to play, just three points off leaders Paris Saint-Germain despite sitting bottom of the group.
This week's loss against the ferocious Yellow Wall was a blow, sure, but Howe's threadbare side has been beset with so many injuries that it's a small wonder that they are still in the position that they are.
Indeed, less than one week ago in the Premier League, an injury-hit Newcastle repelled Arsenal's efforts at St. James' Park to secure three points; mere days before, Old Trafford was silenced in the Carabao Cup as the Tyneside team's rotated squad emerged as 3-0 victors.
But let's be honest, depth is a pre-requisite for success at the highest level, with Newcastle's present issues precluding Howe from achieving all that is possible this year.
With this in mind, United are sure to be busy in the market next year, and Lyon star Rayan Cherki is among those eyed for transfer.
Newcastle transfer news – Rayan Cherki
According to Football Insider, – as reported earlier this week – Newcastle are set to wage a transfer battle for Cherki against divisional rivals Manchester United, with both clubs keeping tabs on the player's development.
Cherki, aged 20, has been a prodigious presence with Les Gones over the past several years and was of a vested interest to Chelsea in the summer, who ultimately could not persuade the Ligue 1 team to sell.
Rated at £52m by CIES Football Observatory's valuation model, Cherki is out of contract in 2025 and may well be tempted to move, with Lyon enduring a terrible campaign and currently mired in last place in the French top-flight.
Rayan Cherki's style of play
Across 112 senior appearances for Lyon, Cherki has posted 14 goals and 17 assists, having scored five goals and provided six assists across all competitions last year, starting 21 times in the league.
Hailed for his “absurdly skilful” movements and tricks by journalist Tom Williams, the £60k-per-week gem's dynamism allows him to find success across the frontline, which could be crucial in convincing Howe to make his move.
Renowned for his elegance and breathtaking dribbling, Cherki is also two-footed and at ease both prioritising his goalscoring and creativity.
The Magpies have bolstered their attacking ranks with players such as Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes this year, but Cherki may well be the final piece of the puzzle to complement Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson as the focal frontmen.
#
Player
Club
1
Leroy Sane
Bayern Munich
2
Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid
3
Kvhicha Kvaratskhelia
Napoli
4
Kingsley Coman
Bayern Munich
5
Raheem Sterling
Chelea
*Sourced via FBref
Clearly, Cherki is a talented player, boasting skills that liken him to some of the wiliest weavers that European football has to offer, and given that he is only in the fledgling phase of his career, there is so much to get excited about.
And if Howe was to convince him to make the move to Tyneside, the Frenchman could be moulded into an incredible outlet to open a new dimension to the team.
For all the talent at the Toon manager's disposal, Cherki would bring natural flair and creativity that could surpass anything the squad currently boasts.
The stats that show Rayan Cherki would be a good signing for Newcastle
Cherki might be struggling right now but such is the magnitude of his side's capitulation this season; despite his woes, Cherki has still maintained a decent level of performance, completing 82% of his passes and averaging 2.1 shots and 1.2 key passes per game, as per Sofascore.
Still attempting to influence the play himself and provide support to his frontal peers, Howe knows that this rising star is willing to fight.
Given that Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior is listed as a comparable player to the Lyon man, it appears Newcastle could get their mitts on quite the player, unearthing a regen with a knack for ploughing forward with menace and unleashing creative might on hapless defenders.
As per FBref, Cherki ranks among the top 13% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shots taken, the top 5% for shot-creating actions and progressive carries, the top 4% for progressive passes and successful take-ons and the top 11% for passes attempted per 90.
Vinicius Jr., meanwhile, ranks among the top 2% for assists, the top 10% for shot-creating actions, and the top 1% for progressive carries, successful take-ons and touches in the attacking box per 90.
Season
Apps
Goals
Assists
G/A rate
23/24
12
4
4
0.67
22/23
55
23
21
0.80
21/22
52
22
20
0.81
20/21
49
6
7
0.27
19/20
38
5
4
0.24
18/19
31
3
12
0.48
*Statistics provided via Transfermarkt
The Brazilian wizard is now – quite unequivocally – world-class, and has risen to become one of the most prolific presences in European football.
Still only 23, Vinicius Jr. has demonstrated impressive incremental growth since his maiden days in the Spanish capital; while the 2018/19 campaign produced superior results to the two ensuing campaigns, he had largely featured off the bench and inflated his numbers through some maulings of lesser opposition in the Copa del Rey.
Nonetheless, he announced himself emphatically and currently serves as Los Blancos' starring centre-forward, now living up to praise from legendary compatriot Ronaldinho back in 2019, when the former Barcelona star proclaimed him to be "among the best" in the world in just a few years.
Now, this is very much the truth, and if Cherki can emulate the Madrid man at St. James' Park and start to ramp up his numbers to greater levels, he too could cement a spot among the game's elite.