If Newcastle want to be genuine contenders for the biggest prizes available next season, Eddie Howe will be the first to know that his squad needs strengthening.
The Magpies are flying at present after having a mid-season blip, and that’s something that could well have been avoided if Howe had had the right type of players as back up to his starting XI.
Champions League football certainly appears within their grasp at present, and with that in mind, there’s an obvious need to bring in a few new faces that are also quality additions.
According to the Daily Mail, the four players that Newcastle are keeping tabs on are Leicester City’s exciting Harvey Barnes, combative Man United midfielder Scott McTominay, Southampton’s free-kick specialist James Ward-Prowse and Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney.
A specialist left-back such as Tierney would give Howe the option to put Dan Burn back into central defence alongside Sven Botman, and give the manager the option to ensure Tierney gets his trademark marauding runs down the wing going.
Ward-Prowse and McTominay are chalk and cheese when it comes to their midfield attributes, but its hard to argue that both would be needed, the former for his guile and set-piece excellence, and the latter for his energy and willingness to put his foot in when required.
If Leicester go down it’s almost certain that there’ll be a mass exodus from the King Power Stadium, and Barnes will surely be coveted by a number of Premier League outfits.
Another young player who likes to play on the front foot, his skill set would be sure to excite the Toon Army if were to be added to the roster.