Despite Jacob Murphy’s form Newcastle are still in need for a right winger this summer, with Miguel Almiron’s sale leaving us short in that position.

There have been numerous reports and links to different players, but one link that caught my eye was Nicolas Kuhn.

Overview

Nicolas Kuhn is a 25-year-old right winger who plays for Celtic. He had a brilliant youth career, playing for multiple clubs including Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Ajax. He also played regularly in German youth teams from the Under-15 to Under-20.

This season in all competitions he’s scored 18 times and assisted 14 in 45 matches, providing a goal contribution every 92 minutes, which is incredible numbers.

Having watched several of his games this season, I have come to the following conclusions…

Pros and Cons

Out of possession

Out of possession Kuhn has shown brilliant signs. He shows great tendencies to track back, he will help out and do the dirty work. Showing willingness to support his full back to create two vs ones or just help avoid any overload.

He isn’t afraid to get stuck into duels and has shown very impressive physical levels. Despite his small stature, he competes well in aerial duels; his aerial numbers aren’t great but he will always compete and do the best he can to bring a positive result which is important.

His positioning when in a block is also good. He will often try to block passing lane and maintain good distances to allow greater success when intercepting.

Pressing pros

He has a good eye for triggers; he notices little things like when the ball is on the defenders weak foot and knows to apply pressure. His positioning as well; he knows his role well and knows when he isn’t man marking in a press he knows where to stand so he can anticipate any loose balls quickly. He is very quick to react, which shows a great mentality in his focus and concentration when out of possession.

One vs one pros

He is very comfortable receiving on his right foot, this allows him to maximise his angles in one vs one’s. He can shift his body quickly to manipulate his opponent, often will make his body look to go inside then uses his quick burst to go past on the outside.

One vs one cons

When receiving the ball on his run he sometimes lacks body movement to fool his man. This is often the case when he tries to cut inside. Sometime he lacks good body manipulation, can struggle to fake the outside to go inside. He can also sometimes want to cut inside too much when there is space on the outside.

Pass selection pros

When the full back is overlapping he is very aware of it and will nearly always find his teammate through flicks and link up play. He always likes to square up his man and create separation and also maximize his passing angles which allows him greater success in his selection.

His decision making when selecting a pass is often quick which allows for much speedier attacks when the ball goes through him. His vision if off the charts, he will spot passes that no one else see’s them, he also has the execution to pull them off.

Pass selection cons

Occasionally he can play the difficult pass instead of recycling possession. He will do well to bring the ball in field but play a difficult pass where the execution is a lot harder to perform and the success rate will be lower.

Link up play pros

He sometimes turns back so it attracts pressure but knows he has the technical quality to perform the pass under pressure. He also has the ability to delay his action to allow movement from his teammate to allow more effective link up play. He also loves to do quick one-two’s to get in behind. He can perform different passes to combine, like little dinks so it gets over the defenders legs.

Link up play cons

Kuhn can sometimes take his time to play the pass on the overlap due to him wanting to cut inside. He can also misjudge the pass his teammates want.

Weight of pass pros

He has the ability to play an unbelievable outside the foot through ball and the weight of them passes are almost near perfect every time. In the half space, he can often play these lovely threaded passes in behind, these passes are often very effective when breaking down teams.

Weight of pass cons

There is a term often used on football Twitter called pass empathy, which is basically how a player wants to receive a pass. I feel Kuhn isn’t great in this aspect. He can sometimes over/under hit passes which lead to tough controls or poor passes.

Ball carrying pros

When carrying the ball, he prefers to bring it infield and is very comfortable when receiving on his right foot (weak foot). He shifts his body quickly to allow him move the ball quickly, he also has great upper body strength to allow him to hold off opponents.

Crossing pros

He has a couple different crosses in his locker, he can cut inside and play this really nice lobbed cross the back post, this is another type of action that is effective breaking down teams. He can also play crosses on his right foot, sometimes cut backs or outswingers.

Crossing cons

I think his crossing is top notch but when he cuts in side and looks to the back post he can sometimes under hit it, which again leads to his lack of pass empathy.

Ability in tight spaces pros

He has a good eye for space and is able to escape pressure by using his body and bursting past defenders. His two footedness is outstanding and this allows him to be super effective in tight spaces, he can escape pressure with ease and be unpredictable. He can use great body manipulation to get through three opponents. His use of upper body strength also helps him escape pressure.

Shooting pros

As we’ve established he loves to cut inside, if this is to link play, cross the ball and also shoot. He is so good and them left footed curled shots to the far post, trademark Mo Salah. Kuhn also positions himself so well in the box which allows him to get in good scoring positions, he loves attacking the back post. He can execute some really awkward shots. He can manipulate goal keepers really well with his body positioning which makes him unpredictable in one vs one’s where he is going to place the ball.

Shooting cons

When cutting inside he can lean too far back which leads to over hit shots, he can snatch at shots at times as well, especially when under lots of pressure.

Summary

In conclusion, I believe Kuhn would be a really astute signing. I don’t think he is a superstar and has some cons to his game, but in terms of fit and providing balance he is one of the best I have found.

Out of possession he works extremely hard and is very smart with his pressing. In possession he is the perfect blend between a natural winger and a “ball to feet” winger. He can receive in pockets and is very effective in tight spaces but he can also run the by-line, take his opponent on one vs one on the inside and outside. His goal/assist number are incredible as well, despite playing in a lesser league he still positions himself well in the box and has contributed well in the UCL.

Finally, physically he has shown so many promising signs that scream he is PL ready. He’s a winger, so he’s no Joelinton but he isn’t afraid to commit to duels and he shows good strength when running with the ball.

Kuhn is a very talented player and has the technical and physical capabilities to start for a top six side. I don’t think it will be long till we see him in the Germany squad, he is that good. He is an upgrade on Murphy and also brings the balance needed. I’d be fully behind this signing.

Thank you for reading, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments. Enjoy the rest of your week.