News that Newcastle want to shore up their back line shouldn’t really come as too much of a surprise given that only Brighton and Hove Albion out of the Premier League’s top 11 teams have conceded more goals in 2023/24.
Despite being brilliant going forward, any team that wants to compete at the very top, both domestically and in Europe, needs to have a foundation of a strong defence.
Eddie Howe will always have the excuse that injuries have decimated his squad this season and that’s true of course.
However, rather than continuing with a swashbuckling style of play whilst key men are sidelined, a more pragmatic style isn’t likely to be frowned upon if it means results continue to remain positive.
According to Calciomercato (h/t The Hard Tackle), the Magpies are looking at potentially acquiring Lazio’s 29-year-old centre-back Alessio Romagnoli.
An experienced campaigner, it’s believed that he could provide the solidity that Newcastle’s back four have been lacking, though with a contract that doesn’t run out until 2027, any deal could prove problematic thanks to the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations.
The player would, apparently, consider any offers that come in for his services, albeit he would appear to be perfectly happy to continue his career in the Italian capital.
Newcastle therefore have their work cut out to try and land him during the next couple of weeks.