Abdulhafiz TeslimIs it Groundhog Day at Newcastle United?
It certainly feels as such for the Magpies, who have seen Victor Muñoz swiped from under their nose by Liverpool. This has dredged up a few unsavoury memories, with the Reds hijacking the Tynesiders’ deal for Hugo Ekitike last summer, before signing Alexander Isak in a record-breaking deal.
Newcastle have been put through the wringer over the past year, struggling to make it all click since beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final and lifting the trophy at Wembley, using that momentum to secure passage into the Champions League. Eddie Howe cannot sit and feel sorry for himself, though. The Magpies can ill afford another sub-standard season, and they need to find a Muñoz replacement quickly.
Newcastle already in talks for Muñoz alternative
Replacing Anthony Gordon was never going to be easy, but supporters will brook no excuses after the frustrations of last summer. Gordon has joined Barcelona for £69m, and there are funds available to replace him. But can the Toon get a knockout deal over the line?
Muñoz is signing for Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool, but he is not the only up-and-coming winger on the market, with Howe and St. James’ Park’s new technical director, Ross Wilson, setting their sights on an exciting alternative.
According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle have already opened talks with Said El Mala’s representatives, eager to strike a deal for the FC Köln winger ahead of the new campaign. The Tynesiders will need to be careful, though. Tottenham Hotspur are also in for him, and given that he is valued in the €40m (£35m) bracket — the same ballpark as Muñoz, incidentally — there is every chance that a rival suitor such as Spurs could look to snap him up for a shrewd fee.
Why El Mala is even better than Victor Muñoz
El Mala is only 19, but he has excelled at Köln, breaking into the first team and emerging as one of the most exciting young wingers in Europe. Muñoz is more “Gordon-coded”, a fast and uncontainable winger darting this way and that, but El Mala is skilful himself, only more reserved and controlled in the way he unleashes his pace and physicality.
Described as “the most direct winger in Europe” by data analyst Spencer Mossman, El Mala is the real deal — a front-footed winger who is not afraid to take on opponents down the touchline.
Perhaps more importantly, El Mala is a natural-born goalscorer, and he could prove a jackpot signing in that regard — someone who could make an even greater impact than Muñoz, who would also arrive in the Premier League as a raw winger yet to fully realise his potential.
He does not see so much of the ball, averaging only half of Muñoz’s passes per league game in 2025/26, but El Mala is a more potent goalscoring threat. Now that Gordon has followed Isak out of the door, it is clear that this profile could bear dividends for a Newcastle side lacking an edge in attack.
El Mala has elements of his game to work on. He needs to be more active and dynamic in the build-up, not just making an impact at the end of well-worked attacks.
But he has so much potential, and it is remarkable to see the teenager display such quality in the final third so early in his senior career. There is no doubt that missing out on Muñoz was a big blow for Newcastle, but if Howe and Wilson can get a deal for El Mala over the line, the Spaniard will be little more than an afterthought as the Magpies push forward once again.
Abdulhafiz Teslim
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