Newcastle United have made a decision over the future of an out-of-favour star.
It has not been a very enjoyable January transfer window for Newcastle United fans. There have been no signings made for Newcastle’s first-team. The impression from inside the club is that Newcastle will only make signings if there is a significant first-team injury.
Instead, sporting director Paul Mitchell has focussed on outgoings to help the club avoid a repeat of the summer transfer window where Newcastle were forced to sell two of their prized assets for profit.
From a departures perspective, the wheels have been turning throughout January. Longstanding Newcastle winger Miguel Almiron will soon be returning to Atlanta United for around £10m.
Elsewhere, the Magpies have knocked back two approaches for Lloyd Kelly from Fenerbahce and Juventus respectively. The Turkish side was hoping for a permanent transfer whereas Juve’s approach was for a loan deal while they handle an ongoing injury crisis.
Newcastle have also gone to work in the loan market. Several players have left the club on loan in January including forgotten Toon midfielder Isaac Hayden and most recently defender Alex Murphy.
With departures, the focus on Tyneside, Eddie Howe and Mitchell have confirmed another Newcastle man can be sold in January.
Newcastle listening to offers for Matt Targett
Matt Targett has struggled for minutes at Newcastle this season despite recently returning from injury. Summer signing Lewis Hall’s fantastic run of form is what has kept him out of the starting XI for so long.
Targett got his first start of the season when Newcastle welcomed Bromley to St James’ Park earlier in January – the 29-year-old was an unsung hero in the win, picking up an assist in the first half and winning the Magpies a penalty.
Geordie Boot Boys recently reported that Targett was free to leave Newcastle on loan in January.
Reports in January suggested that there was interest in Targett from Brentford and Leicester, but his big wage bill makes a deal difficult to complete.
According to The Athletic, Newcastle’s stance has now changed, and the club will now be listening to offers for the defender.
Targett signed for Newcastle for £15m in 2022 after impressing on an initial loan spell from Aston Villa. Since signing, Targett has made just 44 appearances in two-and-a-half years with injuries a frequent problem.
It has not worked out for Targett at Newcastle
When Targett signed permanently, many fans were excited to see what the club could achieve with him. To his credit, he played his part in helping Newcastle qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.
However, it feels like Newcastle should have gotten more out of him given his transfer fee and £100,000 per week wage.
Newcastle must now look to sign a new left-back who can come in for Hall should he ever be unavailable. Dan Burn is a potential option Newcastle can use at left-back.
Kelly can also play on the left side of the defence. With his future up in the air Newcastle could still dip into the transfer market in the summer.
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