Only Virgil van Dijk ahead of Fabian Schar – Stunning stats | OneFootball

What a player Fabian Schar has been for Newcastle United (and continues to be!).

The defender recently agreeing to a contract extension taking him up to 30 June 2026.

Is he Newcastle United’s best ever value for money signing?

Just one of many astonishing pieces of business by Rafa Benitez, his contacts in Spain alerting Rafa to the fact a contract clause meant Fabian Schar could be signed for only £3m.

With Mike Ashley breaking his promise to allow proper funding in the transfer market once Rafa had got United back into the Premier League, the manager needing to constantly look for bargains on a budget.

When a 26 year old Fabian Schar was signed for £3m from Deportivo La Coruna on 18 July 2018, fair to say not many (any?) Newcastle United fans knew much about him.

Once he got his chance, Newcastle United fans could see the quality Fabian Schar brought to the team. Indeed, during his seven years (so far) at St James’ Park, the only (supposedly!) Newcastle United fan who didn’t rate him, was Steve Bruce. Ashley’s willing minion preferring the likes of Ciaran Clark, Federico Fernandez, Jamaal Lascelles and even midfielder Isaac Hayden at times, to the classy Swiss international.

The thing is with Fabian Schar, Newcastle United fans swiftly saw that not only was he an excellent defender, he was also one that was very good on the ball, bringing or playing it out of defence.

Then on 19 January 2019, the cherry on the cake, Newcastle winning 3-0 at St James’ Park against Cardiff  and Fabian Schar scoring his first two Premier League goals for the club. Only 20 starts in his first Premier League season but Fabian Schar ended up with four PL goals that season.

This is the overall Fabian Schar Premier League goalscoring record as at 21 April 2025:

2018/19 – Four goals

2019/20 – Two goals

2020/21 – One goal

2021/22 – Two goals

2022/23 – One goal

2023/24 – Four goals

2024/25 – Four goals

That makes it 18 Premier League goals so far for Fabian Schar and an interesting fact (or two) flagged up on the Newcastle United defender by BBC Sport.

BBC Sport report – 19 April 2025:

‘Since his first Premier League season (2018-19), Newcastle’s Fabian Schar has scored 18 goals in the competition.

The only defender with more is Virgil van Dijk (20) in this time.

Meanwhile, Schar has netted in back-to-back Premier League games for the very first time.’

Nobody will pretend that Fabian Schar, or indeed any other NUFC player, performed well on Saturday at Villa, apart from possibly Nick Pope.

However, Fabian Schar has been superb this season and yet again on Saturday, showed his value at the other end of the pitch.

As that BBC Sport report mentions, Fabian Schar also scoring against Palace in midweek.

What we also know for sure, is that unlike Virgil van Dijk where pretty much all of his Premier League goals come from his head inside the box, meeting crosses, Fabian Schar has scored an incredible range of goals. His trademark finish a raking shot from outside the box.

Who can forget that stunner against PSG in the 4-1 demolition job in the Champions League?

This season is actually already Schar’s best ever overall, when it comes to goals.

As he has scored six in total, getting the winner against AFC Wimbledon in the League Cup, then another in the quarter-final of that competition as United won 3-1 against Brentford.

These goals helping United to go on and win the trophy, whilst his four Premier League goals against Wolves, Liverpool, Palace and Villa, have helped make Newcastle one of the favourites for a Champions League place next season.

It looks like finally Newcastle United will bring in a younger right-sided central defender this summer, however, I think there will still be many special Fabian Schar moments to come with Newcastle United, including in these final five games this season, as well as used more sparingly potentially next season.