With Dan Ashworth set to join Newcastle United in the Summer, there's no question the former Technical Director at Brighton & Hove Albion has a very exciting first task on his hands. Newcastle recruited very well in January resulting in the club securing safety and currently sitting in eleventh place on forty points before today's fixture against Norwich City. The targets in January were those who could not only bring better ability on the pitch, but also having the right character going to enter a fight to secure Premier League safety. Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Matt Targett, Dan Burn and Bruno Guimaraes all fit that brief and have had a huge impact on the team. They've all contributed and given Newcastle a platform to build on come the next transfer window.
Although his position is a Head Coach role, Eddie Howe would have had a say on those transfers and offered his opinion. It's imperative that Eddie Howe and new arrival Dan Ashworth work together, and with Ashworth possessing a strong pedigree and good reputation having had influential roles with both Brighton and England, it could be a match made in heaven when the Summer Transfer Window opens. The question will be who could the Newcastle fans see next in the black and white and who do they want to see?
Like the January Transfer Window, Newcastle will be linked with every player under the sun. The likes of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Ousmane Dembele, Sergi Robert etc. However there are realistic opportunities out there such as Nick Pope who could be fantastic goalkeeper for the Toon Army. A confident International with his distribution getting better and better as the games go on. Two central defenders who Newcastle were very close to signing in January were both Diego Carlos and Sven Botman. Two players in their twenties and highly rated by those in Spain and France, with a strong likelihood that Newcastle will go back in for in the Summer. Conor Coady is another player who could potentially be on the radar, which I'm sure Newcastle fans would not object to. Matt Targett could be a deal that could be tied up before the window even opens, as Eddie will want to keep hold of the Aston Villa left-back after his brilliant contribution to that back line. James Ward-Prowse is a player that seems to not get linked with any of the bigger clubs in the division, with no disrespect to Southampton intended. Which is strange as he's technically very good and has carried the captain's armband for the Saints for the these last few seasons also, showcasing his ability to lead the team. Alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton that could be a very strong three in the middle. A player again that doesn't get linked to the big boys in the Premier League is Federico Chiesa. Only 24 years old and currently on loan at Juventus from Fiorentina, the Italian winger provides great ability and had a terrific Euros last Summer as Italy went on to lift the trophy. Another player who had a very good Euros was Czech Striker Patrik Schick. He is a player that has been linked with Newcastle since the takeover, and the target man could be a great addition to the squad with Newcastle not always secure in that part of the field with Callum Wilson being injury prone.
With Eddie Howe's coaching ability and Dan Ashowrth having experience in the development of players, individuals such as Elliot Anderson, Matty Longstaff and Jamal Lewis could also get the attention they deserve come the Summer. There will be departures also, potentially the likes of Jamal Lascelles, Matt Ritchie, Dwight Gayle etc. who despite being great servants for the club, could pave way for the younger players. Of course all this is all speculative and opinion based, but the faithful have a very exciting Summer to look forward to when the transfer window opens.
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