Newcastle United are looking towards Everton again for another young midfielder after Anthony Gordon's successful move.
Thanks to a 10-point deduction for failing to comply with FFP rules, Everton are still in real danger of relegation this season which could lead to a feeding frenzy for their best players should they fail to avoid the drop. The points deduction is being contested by the club and could yet be reduced or even removed which would likely see them safe.
Tottenham and Newcastle are reportedly poised to swoop for their young defensive midfielder, James Garner regardless of Everton's fate, although a drop from the top flight would definitely make things easier.
According to Football Insider, both clubs see Garner as a perfect solution to shore up their midfield and are looking for players under the age of 24 who could play at a Champions League level.
Garner joined Everton in 2022 from Manchester United for £15million and has shone for the Toffees despite their on-field struggles in recent seasons.
One big criticism of Newcastle recently is how easy it has been for other teams to sail through our midfield due to a lack of defensive-minded players in the middle of the park. That has partly been down to a lack of player availability due to the injury crisis that has ravaged the side this season, but even when all players are fit, we still don't have that number six type player who can sit back and absorb the pressure.
A look at the defensive actions of James Garner versus Sean Longstaff shows the huge difference with Garner putting in more than twice as many tackles this season than Longy with a higher success rate too. Granted we're not comparing apples with apples as Longstaff isn't naturally a defensive midfielder, but he's about as close as we've got.
Garner's versatility would be a huge boost to Newcastle too. As well as being a solid defensive midfielder he can also play right across the middle of the park, so if we were to be unlucky with injuries again he could be vital.
There is no fee mooted in the report, but Newcastle had to work really hard to get Anthony Gordon from Everton for £45million and it's unlikely they'll roll over and let clubs pick off their better players for a small fee.
On the flip side, Everton are still in financial trouble so they may not have much leverage when it comes to negotiating. We'll see what comes in the summer and if Newcastle do actually make a move, this is a Football Insider story after all.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
12 | 16 | 31 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
12 | 5 | 23 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
4 |
Arsenal
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
5 |
Brighton
|
12 | 5 | 22 |
6 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
12 | 14 | 19 |
7 |
Nottingham Forest
|
12 | 2 | 19 |
8 |
Aston Villa
|
12 | 0 | 19 |
9 |
Fulham
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
10 |
Newcastle United
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
11 |
Brentford
|
12 | 0 | 17 |
12 |
Manchester United
|
12 | 0 | 16 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
12 | -1 | 15 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
12 | -4 | 15 |
15 |
Everton
|
12 | -7 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
12 | -8 | 10 |
17 |
Wolves
|
12 | -8 | 9 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
12 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Crystal Palace
|
12 | -7 | 8 |
20 |
Southampton
|
12 | -15 | 4 |