The football Gods haven’t looked too kindly upon Newcastle United this season, with one first-team ace after another dropping like flies.
At the time of writing, the Magpies have 13 players out injured according to Premier Injuries.
That’s enough to test any team, let alone one that wants to be challenging in the Champions League as well as domestically.
Eddie Howe’s side are still in the premier European competition by the skin of their teeth, and if they can somehow beat the odds and qualify for the knockout rounds, strengthening in key areas is a must.
Defensively, losing the key duo of Dan Burn and Sven Botman has been a real blow for Newcastle, so it’s not really a surprise that the club are looking at Bayer Leverkusen’s 6ft 5in powerhouse centre-back, Johnathan Tah.
Tah has been rock solid for table-topping Leverkusen, and The Sun suggest that Xabi Alonso would be loathe to lose the £20m-rated ace.
Both Man United and West Ham are also credited with an interest in the German international, though it’s difficult to see why he’d want to leave mid-season if his current employers continue to blow away the competition in the Bundesliga and Europa League.
Not even Harry Kane’s record-breaking goal-fest for Bayern Munich has been enough to see them top the German top-flight, such has been the excellence across the season from Tah and his colleagues.
Were Newcastle able to tempt him to give up on a potential title win in Germany, it’d be a real coup for Howe and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), and at 27, Tah has a few years left to cement a legacy at St. James’ Park.