Newcastle United could sign their next Kieran Trippier with bold swoop for Crystal Palace gem
Newcastle United are in desperate need of reinforcements to supercharge the club’s Champions League push
Newcastle United are currently struggling with an avalanche of injury issues as they attempt to juggle the demands of competing in four major competitions.
The Magpies are pushing to secure a place in the Champions League knockout stage after the brutal heartbreak of falling short in the ‘Group of Death’ two years ago, are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup, and are competing to secure a place back in Europe’s elite competition next season by finishing the league campaign with a flourish. They are also still in with a slight chance of defending their Carabao Cup crown, although they face a massive task trying to overcome a two goal deficit at the Etihad in their semi-final second leg with Manchester City.
Newcastle are in a position where they could still achieve greatness in the coming months, but have a small squad being asked to do a great deal and in equal measure could easily descend to middle table mediocrity. This January transfer window could be defining for Newcastle but who should they target? Here’s a full breakdown.
What do Newcastle United need in January?
Newcastle currently have four first team defenders available these are summer signing Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, Lewis Hall and Kieran Tripper, although the Magpies could also call upon wonderkid Lewis Miley to help out at right-back if needed.
Of these players Thiaw has impressed since joining, Botman has proven he’s a good player historically but struggled to have a run of games without injury in the last three seasons, Hall has just returned to fitness and Kieran Trippier, who has also missed over a month due to injury is at the twilight of his career aged 35 and is out-of-contract in the summer.
Dan Burn is close to recovery but the same cannot be said for Fabian Schar and Tino Livramento, who are both expected to miss a minimum of 15 matches.
It means Newcastle are incredibly short on defensive options particularly in the right-back area of the pitch. Therefore to compete to be in the upper echelons of the division, Newcastle need to act in January.
Newcastle United should look to target Daniel Munoz - opinion
Since joining Crystal Palace, Daniel Munoz has been a favourite for Fantasy Football players due to his incredible habit of getting goals and assists for the Eagles.
He has thrived in Oliver Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 system and has registered a combined total of 10 goals and 14 assists from in 85 appearances, numbers comparable to very few full-backs in world football at this moment.
One of the few that can be compared to Munoz is Trippier, but we’re not focusing on the current version, instead we are looking at the numbers the ex-Atletico Madrid man was first producing when he moved to St James’ Park.
Upon joining Newcastle, Trippier managed two goals and 22 assists from his first two full campaigns with the club - helping the Magpies to a fourth place finish, a Carabao Cup final whilst also being part of the best defence the club has had in a full league season since 1905, a year in which the club were crowned champions.
Trippier has remained a useful player for Newcastle since then, notably featuring in the lineup that won the League Cup final, but has declined slightly with age, leading to the talented Livramento taking his place as the first choice for that position when available.
Livramento is an excellent defender. He reads the game well, works incredibly hard for the team, has superb agility and athleticism and great versatility which sees him slot seamlessly into the left-back position when needed.
It’s clear to see why he’s linked with big clubs like Manchester City, but he’s not blessed with the ability to cross a ball that Trippier had in his prime. Few defenders are. However, Munoz is one of the few players that could fill the void of Trippier in an attacking sense.He’s not in the same category as the former England international for set piece ability but is blessed with a tremendous ability to drive at defenders, force mistakes with the press and create goals for his teammates.
Munoz is arguably the most important player in the whole Palace team, with the Eagles winning just one of the seven league games they’ve played without him, while even falling short in the FA Cup against non-league opposition in embarassing fashion. He was argubaly the catalyst for the team’s FA Cup triumph - winning the man of the match award in the final. Munoz assisted the winner in that final and also scored goals against Doncaster Rovers and Millwall to help his team progress in the earlier rounds of the competition.
If Trippier does depart on a free transfer in the summer when his deal expires, it might make sense to try and sign Munoz. Better yet, they could even make an offer for him in January to enhance the Newcastle team this season and give them the maximum chance of challenging on all fronts.
Munoz is under contract until 2028, but like a number of Palace players may think about what’s next following the exit of captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City and manager Oliver Glasner pending exit in the summer when his deal expires.