The thrilling £29m wonderkid who could become the future of Newcastle's attack

He’s been earmarked as one of the best young players in Europe for the past couple of years, and now, aged 20, he’s being linked with some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs – Oscar Gloukh’s time is finally coming, and Arsenal, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are among the potential beneficiaries. But is he ready to make a splash in the top flight, and is he likely to move any time soon?

An Israeli attacking midfielder who can play on the left wing or as a number ten, Gloukh has been heavily hyped since 2022, when he was one of the stars of the European Under-19 Championship just months before he made his debut – and scored his first goal – for Israel’s senior side. In January 2023, he moved from Maccabi Tel Aviv in his homeland to Red Bull Salzburg, the cradle of talent where both Erling Haaland and Sadio Mané honed their skills, for €7m (£5.8m). He’s worth a fair bit more now.

Outlets such as Caught Offside are now reporting that he would be available for a fee of around €35m (£29.2m), with every chance that he’s allowed to leave in the January transfer window. Gloukh himself is apparently keen to make his big move, and Red Bull Salzburg are prepared to pocket their profit sooner rather than later.

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But is he ready for the big time, or would Premier League teams be well-advised to wait? Some may not have a choice. Arsenal’s spending over the summer and apparent desperation to sell players like Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe implied a team who were brushing up against the sides of the profit and sustainability rules. Similarly, Aston Villa jumped through a few hoops with several home-grown players sold and Cameron Archer curiously brought back and immediately moved on again – again, it looked like a team who aren’t in a position to spend this January without breaking the spending rules.

Newcastle United, on the other hand, have some cash to burn. Their long and eventually unsuccessful pursuit of Marc Guéhi left them with something like £70m left in their transfer budget, and a late attempt to prise Anthony Elanga away from Nottingham Forest fared no better – but it does tell us that Newcastle have plenty of room left on the balance sheet. If any team makes a move for Gloukh in January, it would be the Magpies, and it could prove to be a valuable chance to jump ahead of what could be very fierce competition.

So what would they be signing if they did make a move for Gloukh? Firstly, a superb dribbler with a masterful first touch and the confidence to take on opposing players in tight situations and beat them. Any highlights package of Gloukh’s play you choose to watch will feature a slew of sharp turns, drag backs and nutmegs, typically followed by a baffled defender left chasing shadows. Gloukh is a very hard player to tackle and is exceptionally good at working himself into space with one or two quick touches.

He makes good use of that space, too. Always on the look-out for a dangerous pass, his final ball is improving rapidly, and he is just as willing to improvise as he is when he dribbles. Last year, he ended up providing 18 assists in 40 matches, a hugely impressive amount even given the relatively low level of the league he plays in.

He’s also started to score goals in increasingly impressive numbers. Having scored nine goals in all competitions last season, he is already up to five this year and has converted nearly twice as many shots into goals. He is becoming a more confident and intelligent finisher, still typically looking to fire the ball home with power as he used to but now also picking his spots a little better.

Not that he looked too uncertain of how to finish last year when he scored a brilliant goal against Inter Milan in the Champions League – haring on to an angled pass into space, Gloukh drilled the ball from instep into top-right hand corner with his first touch. It was a fabulous strike, and typical of how he looks to get his goals.

He isn’t a complete player, of course, and a lack of physical presence means he can be a non-factor off the ball. At 5’7”, he lacks the strength and tackling skills to effectively press and hassle more substantial opposing defenders and doesn’t force many turnovers. He needs the ball at his feet to be at his best.

That could jar awkwardly with Eddie Howe’s style of play, which typically demands an aggressive press from his most advanced players. Another factor which may put Newcastle off is that his positional profile doesn’t mesh easily with Howe’s current system and personnel – they hardly need another left winger with Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes already on the books, and typically don’t play with an advanced number ten.

That means that signing Gloukh would involve either gambling on his ability to play another role – presumably on the right wing, a need for Newcastle – or a change of formation to accommodate his talents, but given that he is still a young player and may well not be a regular starter right away, that would be a strange move in general. Unless the plan would be to loan Gloukh out to continue his development straight away, that alone makes a January signing seem slightly unlikely, or at least a gamble.

But it could be a chance worth taking. Gloukh is immensely talented and is becoming more productive and consistent quickly. He would perhaps take some time to adjust to the physical rigours of the Premier League, but if he can clear that hurdle then he has the talent and confidence to score and set up goals at the top level, and to do so in thrilling manner. Gloukh is a lot of fun, and sooner or later someone is going to take a big-money chance on signing him. Being the first to roll the dice could pay dividends.