In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, transfer insider Dean Jones mentioned that Newcastle United could move in for Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters this summer. Jones said,
“Yeah, well the Livramento one caught me out because my understanding of it was that actually Walker-Peter’s conversation were further down the line than the Livramento one. So, there’s always the possibility that they (Newcastle) come back to that, it’s not off the table by any stretch of the imagination. Like you say, in a way it might be more fitting to where they’re heading.”
Walker-Peters’ Difficult Season At Southampton
Walker-Peters endured a tough campaign at the St. Mary’s Stadium recently as he failed to help Southampton avoid relegation from the Premier League. The English talent registered one goal in 38 matches for the Saints last season across multiple competitions.
The London-born full-back performed his defensive duties well by averaging 2.0 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 1.3 clearances per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He even distributed the ball relatively well after making 78.9% of his attempted passes in the English top flight (stats via whoscored).
What Will Walker-Peters Bring To Newcastle United?
Walker-Peters is a good tackler of the ball and can sense the danger well to secure possession back for his team inside his half. He usually puts his foot through the ball when in danger of being caught out at the back and can make a few decent runs with the ball on the right flank. The English sensation is primarily a right-back but can also function as a left-back if asked to do so by his manager.
Thus, it makes sense for Newcastle to go all out to bring Walker-Peters to Tyneside. He is good enough to fight for a regular starting spot at Tyneside. The English right-back would offer some healthy competition for Kieran Trippier at St. James’ Park next season.
We can expect Walker-Peters to bring more quality to Eddie Howe’s defence and help the Magpies challenge across all fronts in the coming years.
At 26, Walker-Peters is about to enter his prime soon which makes him a worthy target for the Tyneside giants to pursue before the end of this summer transfer window.
