No one is safe at Newcastle United and Sven Botman's big-money move from Lille is a fresh reminder of that as the Magpies' defence and the dressing room as a whole are shaken up once more.
Newcastle will soon have six senior centre-backs on their books and that does not include the versatile Paul Dummett and Emil Krafth, who can also slot in at the heart of defence. There may be a twist to come but it is hard to see Federico Fernandez playing another competitive game for the club while Ciaran Clark was left of the squad for the second half of last season.
These former internationals have served Newcastle well over the years but if the black-and-whites are to progress, Howe has to be ruthless and effectively replace players who were starters a year ago. That leaky backline Howe inherited was the team's weakness, after all.
