A wild goose chase has culminated in an end we all wanted; Tosin has arrived on Tyneside (or Tosin side, no I’ll stop). But who is the English centre half, how has his career gone so far and what does he bring to Newcastle? Well sit back relax put your feet up and read on as I dive deep into the footballer that is Tosin Adarabioyo.

“Tosin signs for Newcastle.” The 26-year-old has signed a x year deal with us and joins as our x signing of the summer. Let’s dive into his career history before taking a look at his playstyle.

Tosin was born in Manchester and joined current Premier League champions, Manchester City, as a six year old in 2003. Adarabioyo made just eight appearances for the Cityzens, all coming in various cup competitions including becoming Manchester City’s youngest Champions League starter at the age of 19 years and 73 days. Game time was limited for him when Pep Guardiola came in so Tosin headed out on loan.

Tosin joined West Brom in August 2018 on a season long loan deal. Initially, Baggies manager Darren Moore played him as a right back and his performances were lacklustre but Mason Holgate was signed on a short term loan deal in January allowing Tosin to move back to his preferred position of centre back. He made 36 appearances for West Brom including a substitutes appearance in the Championship playoff semi final against Aston Villa, scoring his penalty in a 4-3 penalty loss after a 2-2 draw.

He then moved on to join Blackburn for the following season on another loan deal from Manchester City. His performances during the first half of the season saw him showered with praise, and with his parent club undergoing an injury crisis many expected Guardiola to recall him. The Spaniard instead opted to use Fernandinho as a centre half leaving Tosin to finish the season at Blackburn. He was nominated for Goal of the season for his curling effort against Bristol City, and across the season he made 33 appearances for Blackburn as they finished 11^th.

Speculation surrounded Tosin’s future after his very successful season at Blackburn with Rovers boss Tony Mowbray admitting he’d love to bring Tosin back but that they “couldn’t afford him” unless “Man City do us a massive favour” and Tosin wanted a Premier League move anyways. That’s where Fulham came knocking. He ended his 18 year association with City to join the Cottagers with a £2mil fee and a 20% future sale clause being reported in the deal. He played 129 games, scoring 5 goals within 4 years for the Cottagers before joining Newcastle.

Described by Pep Guardiola as a “ball-playing defender” Tosin is a fast, agile defender with a keen eye for a pass. He stands at an enormous 6ft 5in and his aerial prowess and physical strength are two major components as to why he was one of the most in-demand centre backs in the league this summer. In his first Premier League season with Fulham Tosin completed the most clearances in the division. He’s also been described as a player who is strong in a tackle and more than capable on the ball and boasts a great sense of positional awareness.

All in all I’m quite excited at this signing as I feel he offers sharp competition to Fabian Schar and will keep the Swiss international on his toes with the Englishmen having a different kind of possession based football to Schar, but an eye for a pass nonetheless.

Thoughts Toon fans?

Joe Horn