Newcastle United have been heavily linked with signing Kalvin Phillips on loan during the January transfer window, but should turn their attention elsewhere.
It is clear that the Magpies want to sign a midfielder at some point in 2024. They need a ‘number six’ who can free up Bruno Guimaraes to play in a more advanced role, while Sandro Tonali’s suspension has brought about the need for a new arrival in January.
That has led to Newcastle targeting Kalvin Phillips, who looks set to leave Manchester City on loan this month.
Eddie Howe is keen on the 28-year-old, and he fancies a move to Tyneside. However, it is not that straightforward.
Man City want a sizeable loan fee to let Phillips go temporarily, while they are ideally looking to get rid of him permanently. That could mean any loan deal has to include an obligation to buy, which is perhaps a commitment that Newcastle are not ready to make.
Phillips is a great player, and will fill the hole left by Sandro Tonali for the rest of the season. But would he have a long term future on Tyneside? That is difficult to say, and it is why Newcastle should perhaps look elsewhere as they look to get the best value out of the transfer budget they have available.
Newcastle should go for Andrey Santos instead of Kalvin Phillips
That brings us to Andrey Santos.
The 19-year-old is back at Chelsea, having seen his loan spell at Nottingham Forest terminated after just two appearances.
He has once again been linked with a move to Newcastle, after the Magpies missed out on him last year. It has even been claimed that the Brazilian’s representatives would be open to their client moving to Tyneside this month.
And if Newcastle can strike a loan deal with an option to buy in the summer then that is something they should absolutely do instead of going for Phillips.
While Santos struggled at Forest, he is a young player with immense potential. That is why Newcastle wanted him in the first place before he decided to join Chelsea.
The Magpies clearly believe he is a player who can have a big future if he were to join the club, and that is suddenly a possibility again.
He would cost more than the £18million he went for last year, but he would certainly be better value for money than Phillips. It has been claimed that the England international would cost around £40million in the summer. In contrast, Newcastle could get someone who is nine years younger and has a higher ceiling.
From a business perspective, it would make more sense to go for Santos. He would be a long term solution, whereas Phillips would probably just be a stopgap.
Two issues for Newcastle to overcome if they go for Santos
Of course, there are issues with this. Newcastle are unable to loan Santos right now, as they already have a player on loan from Chelsea. The only way they could get the teenager temporarily is if they fast tracked the deal for Lewis Hall and paid the £28million right now. That might not be possible.
Another issue is whether Chelsea would actually be willing to sell Santos in the summer. If not then there is no point in loaning him, as we would merely be developing and making him a better player for Chelsea’s benefit.
But if all the stars align and those two issues can be solved for Newcastle, then getting Santos would be a smarter bit of business than bringing in Phillips from Man City.
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