Lukas Hornicek at St James' Park with Matthias Jaissle on sideline right inset
Lukas Hornicek is impressing under Matthias JaissleManh Tung - Breaking Media, Imago

Lukas Hornicek excellent, 2/10 anonymous - Newcastle's summer signings ranked

Oliver Walton

Correspondent AUTHORITY Football journalist with experience at Reach PLC and PA Media; University of Central Lancashire graduate. FOCUS Fan-engagement content and match analysis across the Premier League and Championship. THE INSIGHT Oliver utilises a network of club and industry contacts to deliver verified reporting and fan-first content. He provides the human stories behind the results to ensure fans get the full picture as it happens.

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Lukas Hornicek has performed the best of any of Newcastle's summer signings so far this season.

The first international break of the season will give coaches, players and fans the chance to assess how their team has started so far.

Newcastle underwent a transformational summer window as eight new senior signings arrived and several key men were sold on.

Matthias Jaissle was also appointed as their new boss in the wake of Eddie Howe's exit, with the Magpies currently sat in ninth after five Premier League games.

Hornicek, 24, is proving to be a shrewd buy at this stage of the campaign, while others have struggled to make their mark on Tyneside as yet.

Football Insider has ranked all eight of Newcastle's senior summer captures between one and 10 so far.

Lukas Hornicek - 8/10

Jaissle identifed Hornicek as his top target to be Newcastle's new number one goalkeeper before a £26million move was agreed with Braga.

The 24-year-old has kept two clean sheets in six appearances so far, providing a calm presence in key moments for the Magpies.

His standout stats, such as the most xG prevented in the PL so far (3.2) and 3.8 saves per 90, prove that he could well be their number one for several years to come.

Lukas Hornicek at St James' Park with Matthias Jaissle on sideline right inset
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Lukas Hornicek at St James' Park with Matthias Jaissle on sideline right inset
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Sean Steur - 6/10

Central midfielder Steur was a relatively unproven commodity as he joined for £20m from Ajax in the summer.

The Dutch youth international has suffered in certain moments, like a chastening 71 minutes in their thrashing at Leeds, but also thrived in some games, with a strong showing last time out from the off against Hull.

He has a lot of potential that is yet to be fulfilled, but does look like he will grow into the season with the right midfield partner alongside him.

Bazoumana Toure - 6/10

Jaissle's use of Toure has been confusing, to say the least, with the Ivorian winger seemingly resigned to a bench role for his debut season at the club.

He has bagged twice this season but has only played 95 minutes of football, meaning he easily possesses the best scoring rate in the squad so far.

Toure will surely be in line for more minutes in the coming months, but can only be ranked as a six out of 10 so far because he has hardly featured.

Nico Gonzalez - 7/10

Gonzalez has made an immediate impact at Newcastle following a £48m move from Man City.

He started in wins over Tottenham and Millwall, as well as a draw at Bournemouth, but has been sidelined since suffering a concussion at Leeds.

The 24-year-old ranks highly for line-breaking passes (17.8), chances created (1.62) and fouls won (1.62) per 90 compared to other PL midfielders, and has really impressed in his few appearances so far.

Matias Fernandez-Pardo - 4/10

Fernandez-Pardo has done little to prove his worth as a £52m signing at Newcastle so far.

He was the player with the most sprints in the PL (28) for the last gameweek, but has only touched the ball 27.2 times on average in his three league appearances so far.

With zero goal contributions in four outings up to now, he has a lot to work on to improve his rating.

Amar Dedic - 6/10

Dedic has probably played more than he would have expected to for Newcastle as a result of Tino Livramento's injury issues.

The 24-year-old registered two assists against West Brom in the Carabao Cup, then another against Spurs three days later.

He has looked decent going forward but is relatively poor statistically, and is also now sidelined with an injury that kept him out of the Hull clash.

Ewen Jaouen - 4/10

Jaouen was the first signing of Newcastle's summer window, but has struggled for game time through selection decisions and injury woes.

Hornicek is Jaissle's number one, but the young Frenchman did make his competitive Newcastle debut in their 3-2 win over West Brom last month.

He was booked and conceded twice from 1.2 xGOT faced, so not his best performance, and he has been sidelined with an ankle injury for the last three weeks.

Aladji Bamba - 2/10

Bamba is easily the most disappointing summer signing of Newcastle's so far following his £31m move from Monaco.

The 20-year-old has only made three substitute appearances from the bench since joining, with several other midfielders starting and coming on ahead of him in key games.

He failed to even feature in two separate games against Championship opposition in the Carabao Cup, so clearly has a lot to do to work his way into Jaissle's plans.

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