Newcastle United’s lack of a holding midfielder could be addressed soon.
Though Bruno Guimaraes has starred in that role at times during his Newcastle career, there was a belief even last season that the Brazilian was operating out of position.
Indeed, he has previously expressed a desire to play further forward too, having played there during his first few months for the club when Jonjo Shelvey sat deeper.
To suggest not having a specialised holding midfielder has impacted Newcastle since would perhaps be too much, given how well Eddie Howe’s side did last season.
Still, it was something Tim Sherwood picked up on during the Boxing Day defeat to Nottingham Forest, which came a few days before reports emerged suggesting Newcastle were looking to wrap up a loan move for Kalvin Phillips quickly.
Now, some more insight into that particular deal has emerged.
Kalvin Phillips transfer news: What Newcastle and Manchester City are disagreeing about
According to TEAMtalk, Phillips has made his desire to move to St James’ Park clear.
However, things rarely work as simply as that. It is claimed that Manchester City are looking for an obligation to buy clause to be inserted into the deal, while Newcastle would prefer a straight loan deal.
Talks are said to be ongoing.
Kalvin Phillips to Newcastle: Deal must be done quickly
Little about the coherent manner in which PIF have built Newcastle’s squad since the takeover would suggest they’re willing to rush into deals.
Broadly, that has been a good thing for the club, with Hugo Ekitike and Jesse Lingard hardly lighting things up since the club dropped their interest in them.
Still, Newcastle could do with signing Phillips quickly. They have a slew of big games to navigate in January and six defeats in seven requires major improvement.
Hopefully, a compromise can be found quickly.
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