Muto on the verge!
Newcastle United tonight confirmed that Yoshinori Muto has been on Tyneside and a deal has been agreed for him to join the club subject to International clearance and a work permit being granted.
With the player being a current Japanese International you’d expect the paperwork to be a formality, even more so given he’s been plying his trade in Germany with Mainz since 2015.
At 26, Muto ‘should’ still have his best years ahead of him. Hailing from Tokyo, Yoshinori spent all of his formative career in Japan before his transfer to Mainz on a deal for around £2.2m. His transfer to Newcastle will cost the Magpies a little over £9m with Mainz cashing in before the player enters the last year of his contract.
His record in front of goal is a little mixed. 29 goals in 67 games is a 43% goal to game ratio. However, that dropped to 30% following his move to Germany. Just 8 goals in 27 league games in 17/18, 10 in 30 games in all comps doesn’t make him prolific by any means, he does at least have a decent record against some of the better sides in the Bundesliga.
Decent on the ground, the lad has a good touch around the box and will certainly link up well with those around him. He’s not the strongest int he air however, so it’s going to be interesting to see Rafa fits him into his plans. Interesting too to understand if he will be the only new man up front this window.
Welcome, all things being well, to Yoshinori Muto.