Aston Villa and Brighton experts tell Newcastle fans what to expect from Matt Targett and Dan Burn
Brighton and Aston Villa experts believe new Toon arrivals Dan Burn and Matt Targett have what it takes to drag Newcastle United out of the relegation zone.
A dramatic transfer deadline day saw two players arrive on Tyneside and join the Saudi-led revolution at St James’ Park.
Both Burn and Targett were signed from rival Premier League clubs as the new owners worked relentlessly to give Eddie Howe's squad the best chance of top-flight survival.
The former - previously on the books at Newcastle but released as an 11-year-old schoolboy - made a £13million switch after an impressive resurgence at Brighton under Graham Potter.
Ben Spalding, from Seagulls Social, thinks the Blyth-born defender will raise his game now he is playing for his boyhood club.
“Dan Burn will be a brilliant character in the dressing room and set a great example for the other players,” he told ChronicleLive.
“He gives his best in every match and, with Newcastle being his club, those levels will only go up.
“He didn’t moan last season when playing left wing-back and getting hate from some Brighton fans. He stuck to his job and proved the haters wrong with his performances.”
Life was not always easy for Burn on the south coast, with many Brighton fans unsure if the 6ft 7in defender was good enough to cut it in the Premier League.
However, the 29-year-old’s form has U-turned this campaign and the Geordie had become somewhat of a cult hero at the Amex.
While Spalding admits that the Seagulls faithful will be sad to see Burn leave, he does hold some doubts as to whether the 29-year-old can replicate those heroics on Tyneside.
“If you asked the majority of Brighton fans a year ago about how they’d feel if Dan Burn left, I can confidently say that they