Newcastle United have completed the £43m signing of Bazoumana Touré from Hoffenheim. The 20-year-old Côte d'Ivoire winger is Eddie Howe's second summer arrival, following the acquisition of former Reims goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen.
Touré to fill Gordon's boots
While Jaouen is expected to start the season as the club's second-choice goalkeeper, Touré appears destined to replace Anthony Gordon, who departed for Barcelona in May. Touré played in three of Côte d'Ivoire's four matches at the World Cup after impressing in the Bundesliga last season. He has been dubbed "the Smiling Tornado."
Player's reaction
Touré described his arrival at St James' Park as fulfilling a longstanding ambition. "I'm very, very happy to be here," he said. "It was my dream since I was young to play in the Premier League for a big team like Newcastle. I will give my best every single day for this shirt. I'm very excited and can't wait to meet my new teammates … and I'm also very excited to play at St James' Park for the first time."
Manager's view
Howe said: "We feel Bazoumana is a player with a really high ceiling. He's somebody who we believe can offer us something different. He's also got a lot of potential to unlock."
Further transfer targets
Newcastle's manager remains in the market for a central midfield replacement for Sandro Tonali, who is set to join Tottenham for £100m, and a new first-choice goalkeeper. Manchester City's James Trafford is high on his wishlist for the latter, while in midfield, Switzerland's Johan Manzambi of Freiburg is a player much coveted by Newcastle. Howe, however, accepts he is likely to face considerable competition for Manzambi.
Newcastle remain determined to retain Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimarães amid growing interest from Arsenal.
