Marc Guehi - Patience pays off

This is widely being talked about as a golden generation of English talent. Marc Guehi starts for that team at the age of 24, and comes out of the Euros as one of the standout performers. And yet, he might find himself at Newcastle United.

This type of signing is surreal, yet it sounds like he's on his way to St James' Park with The Telegraph revealing that we're close to completing a deal in excess of £60m for the Crystal Palace defender.

The whole thing about our centre-back situation this summer was around which trade-off we'd have to make in the player's skill set. Ideally, we need a centre-back who's front-footed, an progressive passer, technically sound, can switch the ball, is better than Schar aerially, has good recovery pace, leadership skills and, ideally, some Premier League experience.

For the players that felt "attainable", it felt like someone with all of the above didn't exist on the market for Newcastle United. It seemed like we had to make at least one trade-off somewhere. Yet (and I don't want to get ahead of myself), we've smashed through the ceiling and appear on the verge of signing one of the very few players in world football who match our criteria. Marc Guehi.

Patience always pays off. Guehi is one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League. He'd be a transformative signing within the context of Newcastle's long term ambitions. Quality over quantity.

It would've been reasonable to think he ends up at a Champions League club. To get him to Newcastle would be an absolute dream signing, a huge boost for Eddie Howe ahead of the new season and a major coup for new sporting director Paul Mitchell.

£65m sounds like Palace's asking price, and he'd be worth every penny if that is the fee we end up paying. Guehi is already a top centre-back who will probably stay in that tier for the best part of the next decade.

In the long run, Guehi is Schär's successor - and could form an elite centre-back pairing with Sven Botman. But in the short-run, Guehi's ability to play on the left means he can also play alongside Schär for the first half of the season while Botman is out. That versatility will be key as a right-footed centre-back able to play on both sides.

The fact that Guehi is also a top bloke just makes the whole thing sweeter too. It's much easier to support players on the pitch who are good people off the pitch. The friendship through the England youth and senior setup with Anthony Gordon as well - that is great to see and could help keep our star winger at the club following unsettling links to Liverpool.

All the frustration, headloss, illogical takes and talk of a "disastrous window" have disappeared pretty quickly over the last hour or so. Of course, there is still work to do on the Marc Guehi deal, but trust the process. It's quite clear that the club are pushing in the right direction.

Fingers crossed we get this done. This really would be a massive signing.