Eddie Howe may have struggled to land his first choice centre-back targets throughout the majority of the January transfer window - but he still managed to land Dan Burn.
The 6ft 7in powerhouse signed from Brighton & Hove Albion on deadline day as Newcastle strengthened their back line even further following the early January arrival of Kieran Trippier and fellow deadline day signing Matt Targett from Aston Villa.
Burn had impressed this season for the Seagulls and Howe saw him as the type of centre-back to shore things up in defence as he aims to cut down on the amount of goals conceded, which is currently the second highest in the division.
Yet despite Howe being determined to sign two new central defenders this month, he was unable to, but that isn’t purely down to the want of trying.
According to The Athletic, the 44-year-old was ‘repeatedly’ offered the chance to sign Nathaniel Phillips from Liverpool throughout the January transfer window, but opted against it.
Will Howe regret not signing Phillips from Liverpool in January? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Trippier, Burn and Targett bring with them plenty of Premier League experience and are sure to tighten up and drastically improve Newcastle’s leaky defence.
But it could've been even better for the Magpies had Howe taken up the opportunity to sign Liverpool’s Phillips, yet a deal wasn’t struck up.
It was well known that Phillips would be allowed to leave the Reds in January and reports towards the end of the month suggested that the Magpies were interested.
Liverpool had valued their player at £15m, yet Newcastle were only interested in taking him on a loan until the end of the season.
Although, according to the Daily Mail, the north east club compromised with an obligation to buy should they avoid relegation, yet Liverpool supposedly weren’t interested.
The Athletic’s report reveals that the Magpies were ‘repeatedly’ offered the 24-year-old yet Howe and co. turned their noses elsewhere.
As soon as an opportunity to strike a deal for Burn was on the cards, Howe was determined to pursue it and favoured the local lad due to his north-east roots, as well as his technical ability and versatility.
Phillips received high praise and recognition for his performances for Liverpool after being thrown in at the deep end last season, following injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.
He helped Liverpool to achieve a third-place finish and secure Champions League football, although he has found game time hard to come by this campaign following the trio’s return from the sidelines.
Phillips certainly would’ve been a great addition to Newcastle’s backline and it has to be questioned why Howe didn’t take up the chance to sign him, especially if Liverpool were ‘repeatedly’ offering his services.
The 24-year-old subsequently joined Championship side Bournemouth on loan for the remainder of the season, but it certainly feels as though the Magpies have missed out on one here.
