Could the £100m man who Magpies missed a trick with bolster the case for the defence?
NEWCASTLE United’s defensive woes have cost Eddie Howe dear this season and the Toon head coach has not exactly hid from criticism after seeing his defensive rearguard slip from looking unbeatable to vulnerable in the past 12 months.
Last season Newcastle conceded 33 goals in the Premier League overall but with 10 matches left to play they have leaked 48 goals and that could increase in the run-in.
Of course, the absence of England keeper Nick Pope has made a huge difference for the Magpies after he kept 14 clean sheets last term. This season he has five clean sheets to his name but has so far missed 20 matches due to a shoulder injury. For some fans his return can’t come quick enough despite some solid showings from Martin Dubravka.
Although, it isn’t simply down to the goalkeeper situation for Howe and his backroom staff. This season Sven Botman has struggled with injury and form and Kieran Trippier suffered a winter wobble.
Fabian Schar has been everpresent and pretty much unshakable but at Chelsea even the Switzerland international had a bad night.
Dan Burn’s suitability at left-back has been queried by fans for most of the season but aside one-on-ones down the wing, he has good statistics for
Whatever way you look at it, Newcastle are looking at centre-back options this summer with Howe after a left-sided stopper. Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite fits that bill. But the Toffees star – named in the England squad for the first time yesterday – would be costly with a price tag of £75m-£100m.
Nevertheless the Cumbrian, who Newcastle scouted as a kid before Everton stole in with a £1m move from Carlisle, would be worth the money if it solves some of Howe’s issues this season. Newcastle were told to sign Branthwaite by scouts during the Mike Ashley era and given he came through the ranks at Brunton Park within United’s catchment area it is another clanger from the previous owners. Newcastle sent head of recruitment Steve Nickson to take a close look at Branthwaite in Man United’s recent 2-0 win over Everton but the Red Devils themselves fancy the big defender.
As it stands, Howe must make it work with the players he has at his disposal but he can’t escape what has been said about his defence’s alarming slide. Howe said: “It is a total reverse of last season where we
had the joint best defensive record in the league. We were so resilient.
“We had a feeling we weren’t going to concede and I think that has changed to a feeling we might concede. The only way to remedy that is to work and for the team collective to be the same aim.
“I think it is and we have some great professionals in that area of the team. I back us to come good but we are obviously going through a difficult period. It is a collective thing but we did make some individual errors, which has harmed us.”
Howe would never speak openly about a major squad overhaul as he looks to protect frail confidence in the squad he’s already got.
When talking about those at his disposal, he said: “There is no doubting the ability of the players we already have. You could see at Chelsea we’ve got some very good players. I was delighted by the two goals we scored. And some of our general play especially in the first half was very, very good. I thought we looked in a really good rhythm and looked confident. We killed ourselves with the goals we conceded. That can hurt you and dent confidence when you concede goals in the manner we did.”
On Monday, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher caused a bit of a stir by saying United were “ready” for the end of the season. And while the fighting spirit from Newcastle suggests that might not be the case, Howe will be eager to take a close look at things in preseason as well as add new blood.
At the moment that feels like the best remedy at Benton. But there’s also still a job to be done in the last 10 Premier League games and the FA Cup at Man City.