One thing that was made crystal clear on Saturday was Newcastle United’s lack of squad depth.

Where Aston Villa were able to bring on a number of quality players in the second half – such as £50m midfielder Amadou Onana and England international Marcus Rashford – we were limited to several fringe men who looked unable to make a real impact.

Depth and quality is needed this summer and there is one emerging target who can help in both departments based on his technical ability and versatility; which clearly appeals to Eddie Howe.

Romano issues Cunha update

It seems Newcastle United really are serious about signing Wolves star Matheus Cunha.

After The Mail’s Craig Hope revealed that the Brazilian was a leading target earlier this month, Fabrizio Romano has now issued an update.

He reports that we have genuine interest and are hoping for a “quick deal”, with the player also eager to resolve his future in the early months of the summer transfer window, where a £62.5m release clause is there to be activated.

On Cunha, Romano said: “Yeah, I think it can be a quick deal, to be honest. I think so. Let’s see how quick, but I think this can be a quick deal.

“Because, as you mentioned, there is a release clause (£62.5m) and all parties involved, the player, club, they really want to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

“So I think it can be a quick deal. There is genuine interest from Newcastle. They really, really like the player. They believe it could be perfect for their style.

”I think Newcastle, in terms of interest at the moment, are a bit more aggressive, because they consider Matheus Cunha as a perfect player for Eddie Howe.

And so I think they can really go strong on this one.”

A risk worth taking?

A few idiotic red cards and subsequent bans have left some questioning his temperament.

He plays on the edge, much like Joelinton, but he has to keep his head. And I imagine Howe would love to harness that passion in the right way, especially given how two of our current Brazilians have thrived on Tyneside.

£62.5m isn’t cheap, but he can play out wide, up top as cover for Isak and even as a left sided number eight, giving us several options ahead of what promises to be a busy 2025/26 season where we hope to compete on four fronts.