Newcastle United are having to deal with a host of absences at the moment, but Eddie Howe has identified a key player to help with matters
(Image credit: Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Newcastle United will look to address their extensive absences list with the signing of a towering powerhouse in the January transfer window.
Right now, Newcastle United are missing Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn, Elliot Anderson, Sven Botman, Harvey Barnes, Callum Wilson, Lewis Hall, Miguel Almiron, Javier Manquillo, Alexander Isak and Matt Targett all through injury, while Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali are facing suspensions of varying degrees.
Eddie Howe, therefore, is keen to add new faces to the squad in January, with a highly-rated player available in a cut-price deal.
Botman has been missing for a while now (Image credit: Getty Images)
According to The Sun, Newcastle United are keen on bringing Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah to the club in January.
Standing at 6'5 and described as a "powerhouse" by the German side, Tah has been integral to Leverkusen's impressive start to the season. Having started all 11 games in the Bundesliga this term, Tah has scored three goals and contributed to four clean sheets as Xabi Alonso's team sit at the top of the table - ahead of Bayern Munich - with 31 points from a possible 33.
While his huge presence naturally means that Tah is commanding in the air, that doesn't diminish his confidence and ability on the ball. Capable of playing through the lines and bringing the ball out from the back, the 27-year-old is integral to adopting Alonso's possession-based philosophy.
Tah is on the radar of Newcastle this January (Image credit: Getty Images)
He'd add real quality to the Newcastle defence, too - especially with Botman and Burn both missing. Tah has Champions League experience and has twice made the Europa League Team of the Season, in 2019/20 and 2022/23.
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The report states that the German centre-back is available for just £20m, with his contract expiring at Leverkusen in June 2025. Transfermarkt values him at £17.5m.
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
