Newcastle fans furious as Eddie Howe confirms ‘shambolic’ transfer decision
Newcastle fans are not happy at the news of Eddie Howe weighing up whether to recall Matt Targett from a loan at Middlesbrough in the midst of a defensive injury crisis.
Tino Livramento suffered an injury against Fulham on Wednesday night to leave Howe with just three fit senior defenders to choose from as it stands.
The fractured rib and punctured lung that Dan Burn suffered against Sunderland is set to keep him out for another six weeks, while the likes of Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Emil Krafth and Lewis Hall have all been nursing issues recently.
Newcastle‘s season has not gone to plan so far, regardless of such injury woes, with their progression to the Carabao Cup semi-finals a rare positive in a rough few months for all on Tyneside.
Their current defensive crisis has led many to believe that Howe will sign a new defender in the January window, but they could choose to recall Targett from his spell at Middlesbrough instead.
Targett has impressed on loan at Middlesbrough with January recall mooted
Left-back Targett initially joined Newcastle on loan from Aston Villa in January 2022, then made a permanent move to St James’ Park that summer for around £15million.
He made 31 appearances in the next three years while being a bit-part player in the Magpies’ rise under Howe, with just five of those coming last season.
Targett joined north-east rivals Middlesbrough on loan in the summer in search of more game-time in the Championship, and he has been a success so far, with two goals and an assist in 18 appearances.
The 30-year-old may well be back on Tyneside soon, after reports cropped up earlier in the week that Newcastle were weighing up whether to recall him from his loan in January to provide cover amidst their injury crisis.
Howe spoke on the matter following their win against Fulham on Wednesday, saying: “We’ll make that decision closer to the time when we can [January]. We are in dangerous territory…and I don’t have many more rabbits I can pull out of the hat.”
Newcastle fans rage as Howe considers recalling Targett – ‘a damning indictment’
Many Newcastle fans are unhappy at the prospect of the club recalling Targett due to his age and lack of Premier League minutes in recent years, as well as feeling like they are taking a step backwards with such a move.
Taking to X, one fan said: “If this isn’t a damning indictment of how awful our recruitment has been lately, I don’t know what is. 4 years on and this…embarrassing.“
Another wrote: “Hahahaha what a pathetic excuse of a club. Go and get someone in the next 2 weeks.“
While another added: “I would rather play someone else than recall him. Move on, I don’t give a rats if he’s doing well with whatever…“