Jamal Lewis is a new signing who has rarely got the Toon Army talking since his arrival from Norwich.
The £13.5m summer addition has appeared, at least on the surface, to have had a relatively low-key start to life on Tyneside with some below par, unspectacular performances in a black-and-white shirt.
He has avoided criticism this far – and rightfully so – due to the fanbase giving the youngster time to settle in before passing too harsh of a judgement. After all, he was brought in as someone who could hold down that left back berth on a long term basis, not a quick-fix solution for a season or two.
However, a string of surprising stats I stumbled upon (see them in full below) suggest that Lewis has got off to a very decent start at Newcastle.
He tops the charts at our club for most tackles, most crossed and most ‘pressures’. He also ranks second for interceptions and touches on the ball, with a huge 435.
A stat that surprised me is how he is third out of our squad for most shot-creating actions, despite obviously being a defender.
Here are the full list of statistics, courtesy of @game_ne1:
How do you feel about Lewis’ first few months at the club? Is there a genuine reason why he has been relatively underwhelming on the pitch but top of the pile in the stats table?
When he was signed, Norwich fans regarded Lewis as an attacking full back who has to work on his game defensively. Perhaps our unadventurous style of play has hindered his progress slightly as he looks to adapt to a new team and system.
At just 22 years-old, he has time to stamp down a marker on this Newcastle side for many years to come and develop onto an all-round, quality full back.
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Young man has settled in and played well
Dave(Quote)
I agree with Dave, don’t know how you haven’t seen it, I’ve had him as our best outfield player in a couple of matches.
Simbo(Quote)