Newcastle United failed to sign Marc Guehi, leaving them short at centre-back.
Marc Guehi was Eddie Howe’s top target, with the Magpies desperately trying to bring the 24-year-old to St James’ Park.
It was reported that Paul Mitchell felt he could sign Guehi, only for Newcastle United to fail to agree a fee with Crystal Palace.
Steve Parish wanted £75million for Guehi, which was £5million more than what Newcastle offered.
The deal collapsed, while an alternative did not arrive. Simon Jordan has criticised Eddie Howe for not identifying more options, with the Newcastle manager now light at the back.
However, Newcastle do have the opportunity to rectify that, as they can still sign free agents.
With that in mind, here are three centre-backs that Newcastle could sign on free transfers after missing out on Marc Guehi.
Joel Matip
The most appealing name available to Newcastle United is Joel Matip. He was released by Liverpool at the end of last season, but is still without a club.
The 33-year-old is a Premier League and Champions League winner, and had a brilliant partnership with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the Liverpool defence under Jurgen Klopp.
If it were not for his injury issues, Matip would be a tantalising option for the Magpies. He is currently being linked with a Premier League return, with West Ham United interested.
Simon Kjaer
When Newcastle United took on AC Milan in the Champions League last season, the Serie A giants had Simon Kjaer in their squad. He was on the bench for the 0-0 draw at the San Siro, and made 25 appearances for Milan during the 2023/24 campaign.
Now the 35-year-old is a free agent, and would add a wealth of experience to the Newcastle backline.
Standing at 6ft2in, Kjaer would add even more height to the Toon defence alongside Dan Burn.
Paul Dummett
If Newcastle really are desperate, they could always bring Paul Dummett back.
After leaving St James’ Park in the summer, Dummett is yet to sign a deal with a new club. He is still a free agent, but was recently in talks with Portsmouth over a move down south that would see him reunite with Matt Ritchie.
Dummett would at least be another body for Newcastle, but the fact he is a left-sided centre-back rather than a right-sided one would be an issue.
Free agency is not really an option for Newcastle
While there are players out there, it would be a major surprise if Newcastle United used the free agency market to rectify their centre-back woes.
Instead, Howe will have to stick with what he has got until January. That means that Fabian Schar and Dan Burn will be Newcastle’s starting centre-backs, while they will be backed up by Emil Krafth, Lloyd Kelly and Alex Murphy.
The Magpies do have Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles as well, but they are still out of action after suffering serious knee injuries. Howe has stated that Botman and Lascelles might not be back until the end of 2024.
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