Paul Mitchell is under pressure to impress at Newcastle United following a lacklustre summer.
The Magpies need fresh legs as they enter the second half of the Premier League season – Newcastle sit fifth in the table but are at risk of falling off if they fail to land their desired targets in January.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 5 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 22 | 12 | 35 |
Mitchell knows what Howe wants, a forward, winger and shot-stopper. One man linked with a Newcastle move is Lille striker Jonathan David.
It’ll be tough, but Newcastle could land David on a free in the summer as his LOSC Lille contract nears its expiry. However, many clubs are looking to do the same thing.
David has scored 11 goals in 17 Ligue 1 appearances this season, a statistic that is sure to make clubs across Europe want to sign the Canadian even more.
However, another Lille man has caught Newcastle’s eye – he’s exactly what Howe is looking for.
Newcastle eyeing Lucas Chevalier move
Lille shot-stopper Lucas Chevalier is having a great season in France – the 23-year-old made his Champions League debut and has helped Lille up to eighth in the early stages of the competition.
Chevalier has conceded just 17 goals in 16 Ligue 1 games so far, keeping seven clean sheets in the process. According to SPORTZONE, four Premier League clubs are interested in signing Chevalier alongside PSG who are keen on making the shot-stopper the heir to Gianluigi Donnarumma’s number one spot.
Manchester United and Chelsea are believed to be two of the Premier League clubs trying to sign the Frenchman.
Chevalier, who was hailed as Ligue 1’s best goalkeeper by Get French Football News, was rewarded for his fine form this season by being named in Didier Deschamps French national squad in November but didn’t make an appearance.
Newcastle need a goalkeeper and with every option Howe has available over 30 years old there is some doubt regarding the longevity of some of those players.
Chevalier isn’t the only goalkeeper on Howe’s radar. Newcastle want Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford – a move looks to be a difficult one with Burnley reluctant to sell during their promotion push.
Newcastle’s confusing goalkeeper situation
As it stands, Newcastle have five senior goalkeepers on the books but three of them could leave the club in the summer.
Nick Pope has been playing the majority of Newcastle’s games as he has been considered the clubs number one. Martin Dubravka has been in Pope’s place while he recovers from injury. However, Dubravka is keen to leave Newcastle in January for a move to Saudi Arabia.
Elsewhere, summer signing Odysseas Vlachodimos has made just one competitive appearance for Newcastle. He is now reportedly frustrated with his lack of minutes for the club.
Mark Gillespie and John Ruddy are also on the books at Newcastle – like Dubravka, the pair are out of contract in the summer.
With Chevalier only 23, he could be considered Newcastle’s long-term goalkeeping option.
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