Newcastle United may have to go back to the drawing board as they look to bolster their defence
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe(Image credit: Richard Sellers)
Newcastle United’s frustrating summer transfer window looks set to continue after the club suffered a blow in the chase for their key transfer target.
The Magpies began the summer wrestling with their Profit and Sustainability (PSR) position, with the sales of Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton & Hove Albion, plus the compensation package from Manchester United for sporting director Dan Ashworth helping the club meet their obligations.
In terms of incoming players, Lewis Hall has joined on a permanent deal following last season’s loan spell from Chelsea, while goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos has joined from Nottingham Forest and striker William Osula has been signed from Sheffield United. Lloyd Kelly and John Ruddy have joined on free transfers, but the club’s priority has been a new centre-back.
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Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi has been their number one target, but after seeing the 24-year-old impress with the Three Lions at Euro 2024, the Eagles have dug their heels in, knocking back three bids and insisting his £65million valuation is met.
Newcastle’s need for a new central defender is even more pressing after Fabian Schar was sent off against Southampton this weekend, further exposing the team’s lack of depth in the position, but the latest transfer development at Palace may well mean the team has to look elsewhere.
According to The Athletic, Fulham have reached an agreement in principle with the Eagles to sign centre-back Joachim Anderson for a fee of around £30million, further reducing the chances of Palace letting Guehi go. Anderson spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Fulham from Lyon, before moving to Selhurst Park in the summer of 2021 for a free of £18million and was a key player last season.
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Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi (Image credit: Getty Images)
For Newcastle, it means the club will now have to look at alternative targets, with The Athletic adding that the club are in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a move for Edmond Tapsoba and have expressed an interest in Chelsea defender Axel Disasi.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, it’s time for Newcastle to move on from Guehi. Palace have raised plenty of funds this summer following the sale of Michael Olise and the fact that they are willing to let Anderson depart means they clearly do not envisage a future without Guehi.
The Magpies will no doubt have a long list of targets and if they are to look to Europe, they may be able to land a cheaper player and avoid the ‘English player tax’ that would come with Guehi’s signing. Time is not on their side, given we are in the final ten days of the window, but the interest in Disasi is noteworthy as we know that Chelsea are desperate to reduce the size of their squad before the August 30 deadline.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
