Despite Newcastle having three left-backs on the books at the moment, they are now eyeing up another in Antonee Robinson from Wigan Athletic, according to reports.
With the 22-year-old missing out narrowly on a dream move to AC Milan, there now seems to be a window of opportunity for other Premier League teams who looked as if they had missed out on his transfer.
The Mirror have stated that the deal was left too late and the Rossoneri could not get his medical completed in time.
The United States international had a deal agreed for around £10m – a fee which seemed acceptable to Wigan at the time, but one which may now increase with the influx of teams interested.
The outlet claims that Paul Cook’s side are still wanting to part way with the former Everton defender, with Chelsea, Aston Villa and Newcastle all said to be sniffing around.
Of course, the Toon currently have a pretty decent array of left-backs at their disposal, though of course, two have been ruled out for the rest of the campaign. Paul Dummett and Jetro Willems were the options prior to their injuries, so the club boosted their options by adding Champions League finalist Danny Rose to the camp.
Who would you prefer as next season's left-back?
Jetro Willems
Danny Rose
Paul Dummett
Antonee Robinson
Obviously, a player as experienced as Rose joining Newcastle is obviously a coup, but it remains to be seen what kind of player they will get with him missing a lot of games this season.
The 29-capped England international has only played 13 Premier League games this season, and with him likely to cost a fair amount in wages and in a transfer fee beyond this campaign, the Toon are only likely to go after him full-time if he shows promising signs during the next four months.
Alternatively, they could go after Robinson, who has been one of Wigan’s shining lights this season. The Latics might be facing relegation this season with the four points adrift of 21st, but he has been consistent throughout.
In fact, Robinson has played 29 out of their 31 league matches, recording an average match rating of 6.98 – the second-highest in their whole squad according to WhoScored.
If Rose doesn’t quite turn out like Newcastle hope, then Robinson could be a great, younger option, who could potentially have a big resale value.