NUFC sealed dream deal for "commanding" £40k-p/w "danger", his value has soared 133% - opinion

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has been a revelation since his arrival at the club, taking over from the rather dismal Steve Bruce earlier this season.

He joined the Magpies as they were winless and struggling at the foot of the Premier League table but has now led them to 14th place as it stands, with the side currently on a seven-game unbeaten run in the division.

One of the keys to his success so far has been how he has handled some of the players who lost their way under Bruce, with one of those being centre-back Fabian Schar.

The 30-year-old joined Newcastle from Deportivo in 2018 and Transfermarkt valued him at just £2.7m at the time of the move. However, he enjoyed a sensational start to his career at the club as he averaged a mightily impressive SofaScore rating of 7.14 in the Premier League in his first campaign and then a score of 6.89 in his second season.

That said, Schar then struggled in the latter parts of Bruce’s time at St. James’ Park as he lost his way and, subsequently, his place in the XI.

He has enjoyed a revival in recent weeks, though, as he has recorded an eyecatching rating of 7.00 or higher in five of his last season appearances for the club in all competitions. Howe has reinstalled the £40k-per-week gem in the starting XI and is reaping the rewards with the defender’s impressive performances.

Toon legend Alan Shearer previously dubbed him as “commanding” and a “danger” going forward in 2019. These comments were relevant once again last weekend as the Switzerland international produced a sublime performance against Brentford.

As per SofaScore, he won six of his nine individual duels and made seven clearances and one block. This shows that he was brilliant defensively and led by example