Newcastle United eye emergency January move amid injury crisis - Eddie Howe confirms clause can be triggered
Newcastle United are suffering from a defensive injury crisis this winter - but help could be on the way from an unlikely source.
Newcastle United have just two fit senior defenders following Wednesday night’s 2-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Fulham.
Malick Thiaw and Fabian Schar are currently the only fit senior defenders Eddie Howe has avaialable heading into Saturday’s match against Chelsea at St James’ Park (12:30pm kick-off).
Sven Botman is out with a back injury with no clear return date while Dan Burn is out for four to six weeks with a rib injury. Emil Krafth and Kieran Trippier are out until around the turn of the year with respective knee and hamstring issues while The Magpies have been dealt a double full-back injury blow this week.
Lewis Hall missed the win over Fulham due to a hamstring problem. Tino Livramento picked up a fresh knee injury during the win and was forced off before Lewis Miley’s stoppage-time winner.
After the match, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe said on Livramento’s injury: “I mean, it looks like a knee problem, which Tino's had issues with knee injuries before. So, the fact he had to come off and he's such an honest, dependable lad, that sends worrying signs, really, for his participation maybe in the Chelsea game. Let's wait and see.”
Livramento was ruled out for two months earlier in the season with a knee problem and previously missed over a year at his former club, Southampton, after suffering an ACL injury.
Under-21s defender Alex Murphy came on to replace Livramento in the closing stages of the match. Murphy made his debut for Newcastle against Chelsea two years ago and could make his first competitive start for the club on Saturday, should Hall and Livramento not be deemed fit enough to start.
But Newcastle still have one fit, available and in-form left-back on their books - he’s just not currently at the club.
Matt Targett has been enjoying a productive loan spell at Middlesbrough having joined the club in the summer after falling down the pecking order on Tyneside. Various injury troubles and the form of Hall and Livramento prevented Targett from getting many first-team opportunities despite an initially impressive loan spell from Aston Villa during the 2021/22 season, which Newcastle made permanent at the end of that season.
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Eddie Howe asked about Matt Targett recall
Although far from ideal, desperate times call for desperate measures, and Newcastle do have the option to recall Targett from his loan spell at Boro in January.
The 30-year-old has played 15 times for the Championship high-flyers so far this season, scoring twice. Targett hasn’t scored a competitive goal for Newcastle but did find the net in a 2-2 pre-season friendly draw with Espanyol in August before his loan departure.
When asked about a potential recall for Targett, Howe didn’t rule out the suggestion as he replied: “Yeah, we'll make that decision closer to the date where we have to.
“But certainly, at the moment, I don't have many more rabbits to pull out of the hat, to be honest [in defensive options]. We're in dangerous territory, so, let's see.”
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Eddie Howe praises Matt Targett
Last season, Howe described Targett as ‘one of the best players’ in Newcastle’s squad from a technical standpoint.
“It's been tough for Matt because previous to those spells out he had been a really reliable performer for us,” Howe said in October 2024.
“He's someone who came in during the relegation battle and really solidified that left-back position. He was someone who consistently played to a really high level, very consistent, a really good professional so this has been a really difficult time for him without a shadow of a doubt.