Newcastle United make transfer decision on '£100,000-per-week' star - Eddie Howe's responds
Matt Targett grabbed two assists on his first start for Newcastle United in 14 months.
Targett started at left-back in Newcastle’s 3-1 FA Cup win over Bromley at St James’ Park. After Cameron Congreve gave The Ravens a shock lead, Targett passed the ball to Lewis Miley who equalised with an effort from distance.
The 29-year-old then won the penalty which put Newcastle in front early in the second half as Anthony Gordon converted. Will Osula then made it 3-1 on the hour mark to confirm The Magpies’ progress to the fourth round against Birmingham City next month.
Reflecting on Targett’s performance, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe told The Gazette: “Yes, I thought he did well. I thought he was a normal, Matt Targett. He was a very solid, reliable performer for us.
“He used the ball well, got forward well. Tired a little bit at the end, understandably, but it was a good day for him.”
Targett joined Newcastle from Aston Villa for £15million in 2022 after a successful loan spell. Since then, he has been limited to just 12 starts in the last three seasons. The 29-year-old is reportedly on between £80,000-£100,000-per-week and with Lewis Hall and Dan Burn above him in the left-back pecking order and the likes of Kieran Trippier, Lloyd Kelly and Tino Livramento capable of playing left-back - Newcastle will listen to any offers for the defender this month.
Targett is under contract at Newcastle until 2026 but has reportedly attracted interest from clubs across Europe with the view to a potential loan deal. According to talkSPORT, Europa League sides Eintracht Frankfurt and Anderlecht are weighing up a loan move. Reports from Belgium have since downplayed a potential move to Anderlecht for the Newcastle left-back.
Any loan exit would likely see Newcastle cover a significant portion of Targett’s wages. But Howe maintained his stance in not wanting to talk about potential exits for his players this month.
“Yes, I don't know,” Howe told The Gazette when asked if Targett would leave this transfer window. “I mean, I don't really want to talk about players [leaving] too much because we have a small squad.
“If we've lost Harvey [Barnes] with an injury, that makes us even tighter with numbers. So I don't really think that's in my mind in terms of letting too many players go.”
While Howe’s message is consistent, Targett is understood to be one of a few players the club would be willing to let leave this month should the right offer come along.