Newcastle United reportedly eyeing 6'2" French youngster as backup for Lewis Hall
Eddie Howe has found himself with a bit of a selection crisis in defence as the Newcastle United backline has been decimated by injuries.
It has been a big wake-up call for Newcastle, who probably thought they'd had enough cover for all positions going into this season after a healthy summer of recruitment.
In defence, Newcastle looked particularly stacked, especially following the arrival of Malick Thiaw, but right now, Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth, Tino Livramento, Jamaal Lascelles, Dan Burn and Sven Botman are all unavailable.
That doesn't leave Howe with many options to put together a back-four, and indeed he has had to resort to playing midfielder Lewis Miley at right-back.
Newcastle are eyeing 19-year-old left-sided defender Dayann Methalie
While Howe has said that they will not recruit in January to fix short-term issues that could lead to long-term problems, it does seem that they have a defender in their sights.
The Daily Mail are reporting that Newcastle have their eye on Toulouse left-back, Dayann Methalie, who has burst onto the scene after graduating from the Toulouse academy.
The 19-year-old is already part of the France Under 21 set-up, and he has been so impressive that Toulouse have already moved to lock him down to a new contract until 2030.
Dayann Methalie could be the perfect support for Lewis Hall
Standing at 6'2", Methalie could add even more height to Newcastle's back line, but it won't be easy for the Magpies to get their man.
He has made 16 Ligue 1 appearances for Toulouse this season after only making it as far as the bench last season. He's even notched an assist in those 16 outings.
It sounds like Methalie is brimming with potential, but that is likely to mean that Newcastle won't be the only club chasing his signature and making a deal could be tricky. Fingers crossed we can get this one done quickly, as he sounds like an ideal back-up for Lewis Hall.
