Four Sven Botman transfer alternatives for Newcastle United to target in January
Newcastle United are being linked with a series of centre-backs from across Europe at the moment, with Sven Botman reportedly ranking as Eddie Howe’s top target.
Reports suggest that Lille are unwilling to sell Botman, which will force Newcastle United to focus their efforts on acquiring an alternative target before the end of the January window.
So who could the Magpies target? Here is a look at four alternative options.
Nat Phillips emerged as the unlikely hero of Liverpool’s season last year. Jurgen Klopp suffered from an injury crisis in the heart of his defence and before too long, he began to lean on the shoulders of Phillips at the back.
Pau Torres would represent more of a daring target for United, especially considering that he’s a player who has been tracked by the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal in recent years.
A full Spanish international, Torres is now 25 years old and he seems to be improving with every passing year. He was part of the Villarreal team that won the Europa League ahead of Manchester United last season.
The Toon have already weakened Burnley’s hand during the winter window, having picked up their main striker by paying his £25m release clause earlier in the month. They could go one step further by acquiring the services of James Tarkowski.
A seasoned Premier League centre-back who is now 29 years -old, Tarkowski is English, homegrown and he’s accustomed to surviving relegation battles at the bottom of England’s top-flight.
Duje Caleta-Car is a strong centre-back who Liverpool attempted to purchase in the last January window as a means of solving their injury crisis at the time.
A bid was unsuccessful as Marseille were not presented with enough time to find a replacement, but the Croatian remains in Ligue 1 and he’s still just 25 years old.
Caleta-Car is physical and aggressive in the air. In fact, he posted the second-best aerial success rate in Ligue 1 last season, winning 87 of his 112 duels in the air.
