Newcastle want £40m star three years after he was sent off at St James’ Park

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Newcastle United boasted the best defence in the Premier League last season.

The manner in which Eddie Howe has revamped the club’s backline has been the bedrock upon which the club propelled themselves back into the Champions League.

For all of the superstar names linked with Newcastle, it is the hard grafters at the back who have arguably most helped transform the fortunes of the club.

So then, the idea of making adjustments to that might sound a little strange.

The quartet of Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Dan Burn have served the team so well, after all.

Still, with an increased schedule next season, Howe is reportedly looking for reinforcements.

Newcastle and another top six Premier League team hold serious interest in Joachim Andersen

Indeed, according to Guardian journalist Ed Aarons on Twitter, Newcastle – along with another top Premier League club – hold a serious interest in Crystal Palace star Joachim Andersen.

The Danish international has been linked with a move to St James’ Park this summer but this update appears to have moved the interest along.

It, however, is claimed Palace will likely demand up to £40m for the 27-year-old this summer and have little need to sell.

Andersen could be a long-term replacement for Schar

While Schar has shown little signs of slowing down, the Swiss international will be 32 in December.

Clearly, he cannot go on forever and Andersen does look something of a like-for-like replacement.

A comparison using WhoScored data notes similar averages in key defensive metrics. Both players averaged 1.3 tackles per game while Schar narrowly beat Andersen for blocks (0.5 to 0.4) and fouls given away (0.6 to 0.8) over the same period.

Part of Schar’s game is his long passing and Andersen actually beat him on long balls played per game last season (6.3 to 4.3).

That’s not to say Andersen could instantly replace Schar right away but their profiles do look somewhat similar.

Hailed as a “leader” by former coach Svend Graversen, Andersen has some previous at St James’ Park.

Indeed, he was sent off while a Fulham player during a 1-1 draw in 2020 after hauling down Callum Wilson in the box, albeit it was later overturned.