Amar Dedic Completes £29.5m Move to Newcastle United

Amar Dedic has turned his back on Benfica and the Lisbon sun for a reunion on Tyneside, completing a £29.5m move to Newcastle United after the pull of Matthias Jaissle proved too strong to ignore.

The 24-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina international becomes Newcastle’s sixth signing of a chaotic, reshaping summer and is expected to walk straight into the starting XI at right-back when Liverpool visit St James’ Park on Sunday.

“Working with Matthias again was a big factor for me,” Dedic said, recalling his time under Jaissle at RB Salzburg. “We know each other well; he knows what I can bring to the pitch and I’m really happy to play for him again. It’s a special feeling and a real honour to join Newcastle.”

Jaissle didn’t wait long to make his mark. Installed earlier this month as Eddie Howe’s successor, the German quickly identified a glaring issue: with Tino Livramento still sidelined by a calf injury, Newcastle were desperately short of senior options on the right side of defence. The solution, in his eyes, was obvious.

Dedic fit the brief. Athletic, aggressive, and, crucially, already fluent in Jaissle’s demands from their Salzburg days. His ability to operate on either flank only strengthened the case, giving Newcastle a defender who can also slot in at left-back while mirroring the manager’s high-intensity, front-foot philosophy.

The move underlines how much trust Jaissle places in a player he already knows can execute his ideas. For Newcastle, it is another sizeable investment in a summer defined by upheaval, risk, and the need to keep pace with the Premier League’s elite.

Across the Tyne, Sunderland have made a statement of their own.

The Wearside club are poised to confirm the £25.6m signing of Toulouse left-back Dayann Methalie on Tuesday, having beaten off interest from Roma and Newcastle to land the highly rated 20-year-old.

Methalie, a France Under-21 international, made 28 Ligue 1 appearances last season and arrives with the profile of a modern full-back: quick, composed on the ball, and versatile. He will compete directly with Reinildo for a starting place in Régis Le Bris’ side, but his role may not be limited to one position.

Comfortable as a left-sided central defender and at wing-back, Methalie has signed a five-year deal at the Stadium of Light, a commitment that signals Sunderland’s belief that he can anchor their left side for seasons to come.

Two clubs, one river, and now two expensive full-backs arriving within days of each other. The battle on Tyneside and Wearside is shifting wide – and it may be the new faces at right-back and left-back who end up defining where this season goes.