Why Newcastle are linked with a £25m defender who scored one of last season's worst own goals

Newcastle United may have signed Lloyd Kelly from Bournemouth but they aren’t done with their defensive refresh, and Eddie Howe has been in the market for another centre-half for months now. That much sought-after signing hasn’t yet materialised, but with Fabian Schär and Jamaal Lascelles getting longer in the tooth and Sven Botman liable to miss the first part of the new season with injury, it’s no surprise to see the club’s name come round on the rumour mill once more.

Specifically, a report from Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport has suggested that they are looking at Juventus and Italy defender Federico Gatti, who the Turin club apparently value at around €25-30m (£21-25m) – but while he’s exactly the type of defender Howe seems to want for his system, there are some valid concerns, and he may not always be the kind of player who provides the sense of calm that Newcastle could do with after a choppy 2023/24 season.

Like Botman, Gatti is a ball-playing defender who makes more passes than tackles and who tries to avoid being forced into last-ditch situations by putting fires out at the source. He’s technically sound and composed in possession, but also a very dynamic passer of the ball who can get the ball upfield quickly, breaking the opposing press by getting the ball into the attacking third at speed.

That’s something Botman, for all his own skill in possession, isn’t as adept at, and given the direct and aggressive style of play that Newcastle favour, Gatti’s skill set should suit the system pretty well – as would his physicality. At 6’3” tall he’s a powerful presence on the pitch and is particularly strong from set pieces, scoring four league goals in 32 games this season.

But the big problem is his concentration, and specifically his tendency to make glaring mistakes in seemingly innocuous situations. Gatti has a lot of skill but seems to switch off at the wrong moment every once in a while, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

His own goal against Sassuolo in September, for instance (one of two he scored in Serie A this season) would have been destined for a thousand straight-to-VHS blooper programmes had it happened a couple of decades ago. Under relatively little pressure, Gatti received a pass across the back line and knocked it firmly back to his goalkeeper without looking up, blissfully unaware that he was over the other side of the penalty area entirely - and the ball bobbled almost apologetically over the goal line as the Juventus players watched on in helpless horror. It made Turkey’s calamitous own goal against Portugal look pretty benign, and Juventus went on to lose 4-2.

The occasional bad rick or loss of a mark aside, Gatti is a fine player and has performed well, and he may well tighten up as he gets more game time under his belt – although 26 already, he is a late bloomer and has just three seasons of senior football under his belt, one with Frosinone before two with his current club. He is not an especially experienced player and has room to develop and sand off the rougher edges.

With a contract running until 2028 it wouldn’t normally be the case that Gatti was available, but with new manager Thiago Motta taking over, the three-cap Italy international could be a sacrificial lamb amid alleged interest in Euro 2024 standout Riccardo Calafiori.

That move isn’t expected to be resolved any time soon and it may well be the case that Juventus only look to move Gatti on once they’ve confident they’ve got their man – so if Newcastle’s interest is genuine it’s still unlikely that there will be much forward movement in the near future.

This is, in effect, a brand new rumour and it is very much single-sourced and as yet unverified – but it also makes sense with Juventus looking to make changes at the back and Newcastle almost certain to add another defender. He fits the style and the profile in a lot of ways, and would likely fit in fairly neatly at St. James’ Park, although he isn’t without his flaws. That doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t have the potential to be a fine signing, and he’s already