Newcastle United transfer news: NUFC battle Arsenal for ‘£30m’ EPL star, Toon and West Ham ‘attractive options’ for Serie A talent

His arrival to Newcastle went under the radar amid the signings of Bruno Guimaraes and the homecoming of Dan Burn, but Matt Targett has slowly become one of the first names on the team sheet, putting in consistently solid displays on the left of a much-improved defence.

His loan from Aston Villa expires in the summer and it’s not unfair to say that there’s a strong belief within the fan base that the left-back should be added to the squad on a permanent basis when the window opens.

Whilst Eddie Howe wouldn’t commit to any potential future plans of making his loan move a permanent one, he did reveal that he has been ‘pleased’ with Targett’s contributions this season: “Matt has done very well, there’s still games to play this season and decisions still to be fully formed but he’s performed very well and fitted into the team and group very well.

“He’s been very consistent with his performances.

“You look at the winning goal we scored on Sunday, Matt was there at the beginning of the move to have the composure not just to kick the ball out of play, but deal with the defensive situation first and then to have the quality to find Joe Willock.

“I think he’s done very, very well - we are very pleased with him”

Check out the latest Premier League transfer speculation below...