According to The Telegraph, Newcastle United look set to go without the signing of a new centre-back – despite a recent injury to Sven Botman.
Luke Edwards reports that the Dutchman will ‘almost certainly’ miss the next few weeks, ruling him out of upcoming games against Brighton and Brentford (after the international break), but another option is ‘unlikely’ to arrive unless Newcastle delve into the loan market over the final few days of the window.
The report reveals that Newcastle had identified the signing of a new centre-back as a high priority at the end of the 2022/23 season. However, ‘multiple club sources’ claim there is no money left to make a permanent, long-term signing this summer, as the club decided to use those funds on a £32m move for Tino Livramento instead.
Initially, a move for right-back was not planned, but it was an opportunistic signing Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth were eager to pounce on following Southampton’s relegation and his return from an ACL injury, with the club believing he’s one of the most exciting young players in the Premier League.
At centre-back, let’s hope Botman missed no more than a couple of weeks. If his ankle injury does prove to be slightly more serious than first anticipated, a late loan move may be essential, yet looks unlikely as things stand with just a few days of the summer window remaining.
The likes of Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen), Jean-Clair Todibo (OGC Nice), Antonio Silva (Benfica) and Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace) had been linked, but The Telegraph reported that the options explored were either ‘too inexperienced to replace Schar immediately or too expensive for the available budget.’
