Newcastle United have completed the signing of Swiss international centre back Fabian Schär from Deportivo la Coruña.
The club announced the news on their official Twitter account, with the player signing a three year contract at St James’s Park.
Say hello to our new number 5??, Fabian Schär!
Full story: https://t.co/xIIRhaCgJm #NUFC pic.twitter.com/DvaTqsvQOS
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) July 26, 2018
Schär joins Martin Dubravka, Ki-Sung Yeung and Kenedy as new arrivals on Tyneside this summer. He started three games for Switzerland at this summer’s World Cup.
The 26-year-old made 25 appearances for Deportivo last season but was unable to prevent the Spanish side from relegation, with a clause in his contract enabling the Magpies to sign him for just £3million.
OPINION
With Chancel Mbemba’s exit to Porto this week, combined with Florian Lejeune sustaining an injury, Newcastle needed reinforcements at centre back. Schär provides them with an experienced, international-class defender who is known as a set-piece goal threat. A ball-playing centre half, he should slot straight in alongside captain Jamaal Lascelles in an impressive looking partnership. The player endured relegation with Deportivo last season so will be desperate to ensure Newcastle aren’t in any danger of that this term. Hopefully Schär’s arrival should go some way towards easing Rafael Benitez’s transfer frustrations, with the club reportedly close to the signing of Japan international striker Yoshinori Muto as well. Investment was needed to ensure Newcastle don’t remain stagnant, and it now appears that Mike Ashley is belatedly opening his chequebook. Whether these moves will be enough to convince Benitez his long-term future still lies at the club or not remains to be seen, but the Schär signing is a long-awaited step in the right direction.