Newcastle United have announced the signing of Aston Villa left-back Matt Targett.
The 26-year-old has arrived on loan until the end of the season (it’s unclear if this includes an option to buy), becoming our fourth signing of the January transfer window after Kieran Tripper, Chris Wood and Bruno Guimaraes.
Targett – who will wear the No 13 at Newcastle – was named players’ player of the season at Villa Park last year, but recently lost his place in Steven Gerrard’s starting 11 after Lucas Digne’s £25m move from Everton.
Here’s the official announcement, followed by what he and Eddie Howe told NUFC.co.uk after the move was made official just moments ago:
Matt Targett:
“I’m delighted to be here.
“I can’t wait to get going and meet all the fans and hopefully we can have a successful end to the season.
“My family have friends here and they’ve always said it’s a football-mad city, so to experience it and be part of it – I’m really looking forward to it.”
Eddie Howe:
“We have gone into this transfer window with a plan to add strong competition in specific areas of the team and Matt will be a fantastic option for us on the left.
“He has important Premier League experience and know-how at this level, so I’m really pleased we’ve been able to add him to the squad.”
Welcome to Newcastle, Matt!