Matt Targett played a role in Newcastle United’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday, despite not being eligible to play against his parent club.
The loan signing will be back for selection for Saturday’s trip to West Ham. He looked tidy and effective on his debut against Everton. Hopefully he will be able to continue to impress against a very good Hammers side.
However, despite not being allowed to play against Villa, Targett claims he played his part in helping Newcastle grab all three points. Boss Eddie Howe wanted to know all he could about the opposition going into the clash.
Targett the ‘tactical genius’ gave Howe some insight about Villa
The left-back spoke to talkSPORT about the Magpies’ victory over the Villians.
“I would like to say I’m the tactical genius, it was all me that helped Newcastle win,” Targett said.
“But to be fair, the manager asked a few questions and I answered some. I didn’t want to give too much away, he knows what he’s doing.”
Before completing the loan move, Targett trained with Villa boss Steve Gerrard for a couple of months. So he likely had an idea of how they play and approach games.
It was the signing of Lucas Digne that made Targett want to head to Tyneside. The Englishman wants regular first-team football. With Digne now at the club that wasn’t going to happen.
Meanwhile, the Toon were crying out for a Premier League proven left-back. The 26-year-old definitely fits the bill – he was named Aston Villa’s Players’ Player of the season last year.
Some Villa fans will have thought he was a bit hard done by. Letting him go to Newcastle on loan could well come back to bite Gerrard’s side.
The business done by the Magpies in January was very well received. Bringing in five new faces really gives a shake-up to the squad. Additionally, they’ve recruited well – the likes of Targett show that. He’s proven at this level and improves the left-back position.
Hopefully Targett can play a role on the pitch against West Ham, after his important role off it against Aston Villa.
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