Newcastle United sun kammala siyan mai tsaron gida dan ƙasar Czech Republic, Lukas Hornicek, daga Braga da £25.7 miliyan, bayan da suka kunna sashin sakin kwantiraginsa don sa hannu kan yarjejeniya ta shekaru biyar da ɗan wasan ƙwallon ƙafa mai shekaru 24.

Hornicek ya tafi zuwa sansanin horar da Newcastle a Spain ƙarshen mako don kammala yarjejeniyar, bayan wasu kwanaki na motsin rai. Ya ce: «Kwanaki kaɗan da suka wuce sun kasance kamar hawa-sauka na motsin rai tun da na ji labarin canja wuri, kuma yanzu ina farin ciki ƙwarai da kasancewa nan. Wannan babban dama ne a wata sababbar gasar, kuma na yi farin ciki ƙwarai.»

Saiwar sabuwa ta bayyana jin daɗinsa da karɓuwar da ya samu a kulob din. «Tun lokacin da na isa nan, an karɓe ni sosai kuma na ji zafin kulob ɗin da gaske,» in ji Hornicek. «Na san Newcastle babbar birni ce ta ƙwallon ƙafa, tare da masu sha'awa 52,000 a St James' Park waɗanda ke ƙirƙirar yanayi mai ban sha'awa. Ba zan iya jiran yin wasa a gabanansu ba.»

Mai tsaron gida tare da tarihin nasarori

Ƙungiyar leƙen asiri ta Newcastle ta bi Hornicek da hannu a hannu bayan da ya samu kanki 7 ba a ci burin a gasar UEFA Europa League a lokacin da Braga ta kai matakin kusa da na karshe a kakar da ta gabata — mafi yawan kowanne mai tsaron gida a gasar. Bayanan Opta kuma sun nuna cewa ya zo na biyu wajen wucewar kwallon da ta yi nasara (846) kuma na huɗu wajen daidaiton kwallon (kashi 75 cikin dari) tsakanin dukkan masu tsaron gida a gasar Portuguese top-flight.

Daraktan wasannin Ross Wilson ya yabi ci gaban sauri na mai tsaron gidan. «Ci gabansa a shekaru kala kalau ya kasance abin al'ajabi. Ya kafa kansa sosai a matsayin ɗaya daga cikin mafi kyawun masu tsaron gida a Turai,» in ji Wilson. «Mun san za a sami kulob da yawa masu sha'awar Lukas wannan lokacin rani, amma da sauri ya bayyana a fili yadda yake son kasancewa wani ɓangare na abin da muke ginawa nan.»

Cike gaɓar da ke gaggawa

Wannan siya tana magance ɗaya daga cikin manyan buƙatun Newcastle kafin sabuwar kakar wasa. Kulob din ya karɓi burin 55 a Premier League a kakar da ta gabata — yana samu kanki 8 kawai — ya zo na 15 wajen burin da aka ci, sama da ƙungiyoyin da aka saukar da su da waɗanda suka gajiya ciki har da West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United, da Tottenham Hotspur.

Nick Pope ya yi kuskure da dama masu tsada a duk faɗin kakar wasa, yayin da Aaron Ramsdale bai samu damar nuna kansa ba a lokacin aro dinsa kuma tun daga lokacin ya koma Southampton. Samun lambar ɗaya mai dogaro ya zama babban fifiko.

Da tsayinsa na ƙafa 6 da inci 6, Hornicek yana da ƙarfin jiki da Premier League ke buƙata, kuma ƙwarewarsa ta kwallon za ta ba da wa'azin shugaban horarwa Mattias Jaissle — wanda ake sa ran a sanar da nadin nasa a hukumance ba da jimawa ba — mai tsaron gida mai ikon shiga cikin wasan ginin. Bayan da Newcastle suka tara matasa kamar Ewen Jaouen, Sean Steur, Bazoumana Toure, da Aladji Bamba wannan lokacin rani, suna da Hornicek a matsayin ƙarin ƙwararre a wannan tagar canja wuri, yayin da wani sabon zamani ke farawa a Tyneside.