Newcastle United aren’t short of centre-backs with Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar, Ciaran Clark and Federico Fernandez at their disposal, but it could be argued that they need an upgrade after failing to keep a clean sheet in their first 13 Premier League games of the season.
Nathan Ake was on their shortlist as he’s been short of playing time at Manchester City and may jump at the chance to get regular first-team football, but Football Insider say the Sky Blues will block any attempt from Newcastle to sign him. Fans on social media are mixed on Ake – some want him, some don’t.
https://twitter.com/James_D89/status/1463073019497172994?s=20 https://twitter.com/CharIieBennett/status/1463247108249726982?s=20
The 26-year-old joined City from Bournemouth in 2020 and has gone on to make 21 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals. Ake has made 6/20 appearances this season, however, amassing a paltry 587 minutes of playing time from a possible 1800.
Newcastle may have been hoping they could lure Ake away from the Etihad Stadium with the promise of first-team football, but it appears City aren’t willing to let him go. Ake is frequently on the bench despite not starting regularly for the Sky Blues, so Pep Guardiola seems to need him as cover.
The Magpies are still after Zinchenko, however, so they might yet do business with the Premier League defending champions.
In other news, fans react on social media with Newcastle linked with Oleksandr Zinchenko
