Newcastle already have the next “star” midfielder

Newcastle United are trying to get into the summer transfer window, and while it feels like Eddie Howe’s side are hit by any number of obstacles, there is plenty of time to get it right.

Much depends on whether the Magpies succeed in keeping Bruno Guimaraes at the club. The Brazilian midfielder, Newcastle’s captain, has been snapped up by Arsenal; personal goals are not expected to be an issue as Guimaraes looks at a career change early in his career.

After finishing 12th in the Premier League last year, it is understood that the captain may be considering a move away, albeit a bit painful.

Newcastle have yet to secure a replacement for Sandro Tonali, let alone Guimaraes, but they appear to be trying to make a bid for Lucas Bergvall.

What Lucas Bergvall will bring to Newcastle

Communication lines are open between North London and Tyneside, with Tonali completing a £100m move to Tottenham this summer.

Now, Newcastle are trying to return the favor by signing Bergvall, having already seen a £46m offer rejected for the Sweden international. He is 20 years old, has already achieved a lot, winning the Europa League in 2024/25 and was praised by Pep Guardiola for his “unstoppable” ability to run on the ball.

Bergvall is an exciting midfielder, a powerful carrier with a natural desire to drive play forward. However, he may not be the solution to all of Newcastle’s problems at the moment, lacking the raw power and precision in attacking areas to make a noticeable difference.

Furthermore, he has so far failed to show a clinical edge when successfully handling the ball in danger. Bergvall has scored two goals and provided nine assists in 78 games for Tottenham.

This isn’t to say he doesn’t have what it takes to be a quality midfielder, but it’s worth remembering that Newcastle may already have even more talent in the middle of the park.

Newcastle already have more talent than Bergvall

Newcastle have signed Sean Steur from Ajax this summer in a deal that could rise to £23m. The Dutchman has all the attributes to develop into a world-class player from the middle of the park, but it would be unfair to expect him to make a difference from the get-go.

But it’s actually Lewis Miley who may take the cake. The England U21 star could be looking to have a big impact season on Tyneside, given the sale of Tonali and the uncertainty over the captaincy.

Miley graduated from the academy and has progressed over the past three seasons in the Premier League, and it has been great to see him develop in confidence over the past 12 months, growing into his own skin as a sharp specialist in midfield, composed and collected when making decisions.

Pundit Pat Nevin actually said “Miley looks like the next English champion to succeed”, and next season could be his year, already playing at a higher level than Bergvall.

In some ways, it is difficult to put an accurate gauge on Bergvall’s level when he was involved in chaos at Tottenham, but Miley faced difficulties at St James’ Park, and came away with many fans warming to his development under Howe’s wing.

Powerful in a duel and a classy drive and striker, Miley shares many key midfield areas with Bergvall, so you have to question whether it might be wiser for Newcastle’s long-term success to invest their effort and resources in a different midfield profile, someone who is smaller and more aggressive.

These are testing times for the Newcastle persuasion, but Howe and technical director Ross Wilson are fighting tooth and nail to put everything to rights.

Signing Bergvall wouldn’t be a bad thing, but maybe it would be more profitable to go down the other way, when Miley goes from strength to strength and works to become the head of the project.