Noel Whelan says Howe must strengthen defence despite signing Burn

Newcastle United have a lot of centre-backs at their disposal but not many likely to stay beyond the summer. Ciaran Clark was dropped from their Premier League squad and is surplus to requirements. Federico Fernandez fell down the pecking order and hasn’t played a Premier League game in 2022.

Jamaal Lascelles was dropped after Dan Burn joined on a two-and-a-half-year deal from Brighton & Hove Albion in January, so his future at St James’ Park is also uncertain. This is why Noel Whelan believes Eddie Howe should bring in another centre-back this summer.

He told Football Insider: “I still feel he needs another centre-half, even though he’s brought one in, Dan Burn. If (Newcastle) can get some out the door and bring four or five in, I think it probably would be enough for Eddie Howe to work with.

“They’ve got to be some good signings though. There’s got to be longevity in the signings. Players that give them that stability for three or four season.” Newcastle are 17th in the league for goals conceded (49), 16th in the league for shots conceded (14.3 per game) and joint-17th in the league for clean sheets (4), so Howe will be aware of what his side needs this summer.

The Magies tried to sign Sven Botman from LOSC Lille in January but couldn’t get a deal over the line. Burn has been an excellent signing, however, so he’s likely to keep his place at centre-back next season. Whether Fabian Schar remains his partner is another story.

In other news, Frank McAvennie says Callum Wilson returning is ‘exciting’ for top-half push