With Aleksandar Mitrovic poised to complete a £12m move to Newcastle United later today, Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson lifts the lid on the Magpies' new signing

 

So who is Newcastle’s new centre-forward?

Born in the small Serbian city of Smederevo in 1994, Mitrovic has rapidly developed into one of the most highly-rated young strikers in Europe.

A graduate of the Partizan Belgrade academy, he spent a season with the Serbian club’s feeder side, Teleoptik, before scoring within nine minutes of his Partizan debut in a Champions League qualifier with Maltese side Valetta.

He scored 15 goals in his debut season, making him Partizan’s leading scorer, and his performances caught the eye of Anderlecht, who broke their club record fee as they shelled out €5m to sign him in 2013.

He claimed two assists on his debut and rapidly became a key member of Anderlecht’s starting line-up, scoring 16 goals in 32 league appearances in his first season in Belgium.

Last term was even better, with his 27 goals helping Anderlecht finish third in Belgium’s Jupiler League, just three points adrift of champions Gent.

Some of his best moments came in the Champions League, with a last-minute equaliser in a 3-3 draw with Arsenal bringing him to the attention of English fans.

 

What type of striker is he?

Newcastle supporters love their traditional number nines, and Mitrovic certainly fits into that category.

Strong, aggressive and dominant in the air, the 20-year-old is reminiscent of Andy Carroll, who briefly shone on Tyneside before making a £35m move to Liverpool.

A high proportion of his goals last season came from headers, with the timing of his runs into the box regularly enabling him to steal ahead of the defenders charged with marking him.

More than happy to lead the line on his own, he would appear to be tailor-made for the 4-2-3-1 formation that Steve McClaren looks like he is going to play next season.

If there is a question mark about his play, it probably relates to his technique with the ball at his feet and his ability to hold up possession while bringing his attacking team-mates into the game. At 20, though, there is plenty of time for that to improve.

 

How much of a fight did Newcastle have to put up to get him?

A big one. Having identified him as their leading attacking target at an early stage of the summer, Newcastle’s recruitment team have been in almost constant contact with Anderlecht officials and Mitrovic’s representatives for most of the last month.

For once, negotiating a fee with the selling club was one of the easier tasks, with Anderlecht accepting an offer of around £12m at an early stage of discussions.

Attention then switched to persuading Mitrovic to sign, and things looked to be progressing nicely when the striker’s agent, Pini Zahavi, and brother visited Tyneside more than a week ago.

However, with Porto and Roma also in contact, Mitrovic initially opted to sit tight, with Belgian sources claiming he was hoping to secure a move to a club who could offer Champions League football.

Confident their financial offer, which is understood to involve a basic wage of around £33,000-a-week with further incentives based on results, would not be matched, Newcastle officials opted to sit tight. Their patience was rewarded when Mitrovic travelled to Tyneside yesterday afternoon.

 

Are there any potential concerns?

Not really in terms of Mitrovic’s ability, but Newcastle’s recruitment team are understood to have canvassed a wide range of opinions in order to assess their new signing’s attitude and mentality.

Known as explosive character, with a penchant for gaudy tattoos, quirky haircuts and extravagant goal celebrations, Mitrovic is hardly a shrinking violet.

Newcastle will hope to channel his aggression in a positive manner next season, and Anderlecht boss Besnik Hasi is confident the forward will be a huge success in the Premier League.

“With tattoos and a funny haircut, he might look crazy, but he’s not,” said Hasi. “He’s a hard worker, someone who gives everything in every single duel. And his level is constantly increasing.

“His main quality is to score. Give him a ball in the box, and it’s in. In the last two years, his level has increased a lot. He took a step forward last year on the football and mental scale – he is also physically stronger.

“He knows that England is not Belgium. People are stronger, and the ball goes faster. But he showed in the Champions League that he can be good in tough matches, and that he can stay calm and focused. Sometimes, you don’t see him for 80 minutes – but then he gets a ball and scores.”