Newcastle United starlet Lewis Miley is enjoying a string of starts in the team in a new right-back role after injuries to Tino Livramento and Kieran Trippier kept them out.
Both natural full-backs were available for the clash against Crystal Palace last weekend, but Eddie Howe decided to keep Miley in the team as a starter at right-back.
He rewarded his manager’s faith in him with an assist for Bruno Guimaraes for the opening goal of the 2-0 win over the Eagles, bringing the ball home for the Brazilian to convert from close range.
The 19-year-old’s quality performances out of position at such a young age suggest he has an incredibly bright future at St. James’ Park, if he can continue to develop and improve while remaining at the club.
Newcastle considering bid for new star
Although Miley is an incredibly exciting young talent, for the aforementioned reasons the Magpies could add an even bigger talent to their squad this month.
According to Somos Fanaticos, Newcastle United have joined numerous clubs interested in a deal to sign left-back Santos Souza in the January transfer window, with Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester City also interested in him.
The report claims the Magpies view the teenage full-back as a potential “market opportunity” as he could be available for less money now than he would be in a future window.
He adds that Newcastle have become an “active” suitor to sign him and are one of several European teams “stepping up their investigations”. In other words, the Toons have already requested information on what it would take to make a deal.
Somos Fanaticos reveal Santos want a fee in the region of £17million to part ways with the youngster, who has an £87million release clause in his contract, according to The Athletic.
Why Souza might be a bigger talent than Miley
There’s no doubt that Miley is an important and exciting talent for Newcastle, given his emergence at right-back as a 19-year-old in recent weeks, but Souza could be an even bigger talent for Eddie Howe to work with if PIF can secure a deal for him.
The Brazilian defender has started 19 league matches in Brazil in 2025, according to Sofascore, while Miley has only started ten Premier League matches since the summer of 2024, including nine this season and one last season.
Souza, who is the same age as the Newcastle talent, is a natural left-back and has shown real quality with his performances for Santos so far, which is why so many top English clubs are looking to secure his signature in the coming weeks.
The £17 million-rated star, who was described as “an absolute gem” by U23 recruiter Antonio Mango, showed he can provide quality in and out of possession as a left-back who can bomb up and down the flank to impact games at both ends of the pitch.
As impressive as Miley’s performances have been since he was moved to right-back by Howe, Souza’s performances for Santos suggest he could be an even more impressive young performer at St. James’ Park.
|
Statistics |
Souza (2025 Brazilian) |
Miley (25/26 LP) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
24 |
16 |
|
Goals |
1 |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
2 |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
2.7 |
1.8 |
|
Clearances per match |
2.3 |
1.0 |
|
Duels won per match |
4.1 |
3.2 |
|
Dribbles performed per match |
1.0 |
0.6 |
|
Statistics via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, the Brazilian star’s defensive numbers are superior to Miley’s across the board, suggesting he would offer more to the team as an outright defender, capable of cutting off attacks and preventing his man from troubling Nick Pope or Aaron Ramsdale in goal.
He also created four “big chances”, twice as many as Miley has created this season in the Premier League, and could offer more of a threat high up the pitch as a creative talent.
According to Sofascore, Souza has not made a single error that led to a shot or a goal for the opposition during the Brasileiro 2025. However, the Newcastle youngster has already made two errors that led to shots in the Premier League and two errors that led to shots or goals in the League Cup.
This suggests that the Santos youngster could be much more reliable in possession when playing from the back, as he is nowhere near as likely to make key errors with his passing.
The next Anderson: Newcastle make ‘superb’ £52m star a top target
Newcastle United could land their next Elliot Anderson in January if they manage to land one of their top targets.
Therefore, PIF could bring Howe an even bigger teenage talent than Miley by winning the race to sign the 19-year-old left-back before the end of the January transfer window.
