On Thursday, Newcastle raided Anderlecht for the second time this summer, signing defender Chancel Mbemba for a fee reportedly in the region of £8.5 million. The 20-year-old has penned a five-year deal at St James’ Park, and will join up with his team-mates in the middle of next week once his overseas work visa is granted.
Speaking to the club’s official website about his move to Tyneside, the DR Congo international expressed his happiness at securing a move to the Premier League:
“I know the team very well. I’ve watched the Premier League and I know this is a massive team with big players and with a great coach. I’ve come here to Newcastle United because it’s a very good move in my career to play for such a famous club. I am excited for the season ahead.”
THE HISTORY
Mbemba began his footballing journey in the DR Congo, playing for E.S. La Grace and FC MK Etancheite in Kinshasa during his youth career, before joining Anderlecht in 2011. Confusion over Mbemba’s birth date meant he initially was limited to playing with the reserves as the investigation was carried out, with the defender eventually making his first team debut in a 3-2 defeat to Lokeren in the opening match of the 2013/14 campaign. He immediately became a regular in the starting XI, and made 40 appearances in all competitions, scoring an impressive six goals and grabbing a single assist, playing his part as Anderlecht won the Belgian Pro League.
Last season, Mbemba made 36 appearances for the Belgian outfit, including all six of Anderlecht’s Champions League matches, and registered three goals and one assist. After making his international debut for DR Congo in 2012, Mbemba has gone on to make 17 appearances for his country.
THE PROSPECTS
Given the considerable outlay, it’s fair to say that Mbemba appears very likely to establish himself in the starting XI at St James’ Park sooner rather than later. Speaking about his latest signing, head coach Steve McClaren outlined what qualities the centre-back will bring to the squad:
“He is a proven performer at the highest level, he’s powerful, combative and will add quality to our defence. He also has an eye for goal which is an extra asset for us. We will get him integrated into the squad quickly once he is with us. Unfortunately, due to the time it takes to process the visa application that won’t be in time for our final friendly on Saturday, but our focus will be to make sure he will be ready and available as soon as possible.”
The defender’s late arrival places doubt as to whether he will feature in McClaren’s thoughts for the Gameweek 1 home clash against Southampton, but the mention of Mbemba’s “eye for goal” will certainly strike a chord with Fantasy managers.
In terms of the Magpies defensive set-up for the season ahead, much depends on the future of Fabricio Coloccini. The Argentine is a doubt for the start of the season with an Achilles injury and may well be set to leave the club anyway, with rumours of a move to Crystal Palace growing. Should Coloccini indeed depart, Mbemba is likely to be partnered by one of Mike Williamson, Paul Dummett or Steven Taylor, whilst England U21 international Jamaal Lascelles has featured throughout pre-season under McClaren and may even be in contention.
Taking a look at Mbemba’s defensive statistics from his six Champions League outings last term, he averaged 2.5 tackles and 3.3 interceptions per match, turning in some very favourable displays that have drawn comparisons with City skipper Vincent Kompany. In the Premier League last season, Coloccini only managed 1.9 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per 90 minutes, while Williamson logged just 1.1 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game. Certainly based on those statistics, it’s easy to see why the DR Congo international is expected to quickly nail down a role in McClaren’s first XI once he has settled into life in the North East.
Much depends on his cost across the Fantasy games, though. Right-back Daryl Janmaat is the only Newcastle defender to be priced at 5.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) this season, with all the other members of the backline bar Taylor (4.0) available for 4.5. Given Mbemba’s aerial threat from set-pieces, there’d be no real surprise if he joins the Dutch international in the 5.0 price bracket, but should he be valued at 4.5, the young centre-back could prove to be something of a bargain. Ideally, though, Fantasy managers will be hoping for Taylor to nail down a role alongside the new boy, affording us a rare 4.0-priced starter for our five-man backlines.
Newcastle’s tough opening schedule, however, will mean it’s later in the season where Mbemba could really come into his own. The Magpies play six of last year’s top eight (SOT, swa, mun, ARS, CHE, mci) over the first eight, with the fixture list smiling far kinder from Gameweek 9 onwards (NOR, sun, STO, bou, LEI).
It may take a little time for Mbemba to settle into English football both on and off the pitch, with high profile centre-backs such as Nemanja Vidic and Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala having struggled during the start of their careers in England. The statistics certainly point to the former Anderlecht defender being able to command a place in the starting XI, and with his proven goal threat, Mbemba could emerge as a viable Fantasy asset as the season develops.
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