Howe can finally axe shocking NUFC "nightmare" with "incredible" £100k-p/w monster - opinion

Newcastle United are keen on bolstering their goalkeeper options in this January transfer window, with Arsenal star Bernd Leno now being name-checked as a target.

While the Magpies are keen on sealing a deal for Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, they are also actively seeking a new number one shot-stopper, and Sport BILD journalist Christian Falk has revealed that Leno is someone who the club are interested in.

TRUE✅ @NUFC want @Bernd_Leno The German @DFB_Team player is interested @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/YQUBKsp0kl

— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) January 26, 2022

Both Dubravka and Darlow have come in for heavy criticism for their performances this season in the Premier League, with some fans dubbing the duo as liabilities following a couple of poor performances against Manchester United and Brentford respectively.

The latter in particular has arguably been the biggest source of frustration, and the stats point to why that is the case. As per FBREF, he has let in 3.4 goals more than he has been expected to keep out, which ranks him as the fourth-worst performing goalkeeper in the entire division.

Indeed, following that performance against Brentford, Martin Keown slammed: “Darlow, the goalkeeper, had a nightmare. It goes through him, it’s really poor. You want everyone to do everything right in those first few minutes when you score.

“I think everyone just got carried away in the euphoria of the goal. You just need that period to settle. You want your goalkeeper to do the basics, and he didn’t do that.”

In Leno, the Magpies would be getting someone who has got vast experiences of playing at the highest level, having competed in the Champions League with Bayer Leverkusen and winning FA Cups with Arsenal in his time of England.