Ciaran Clark and Federico Fernandez are surplus to requirements at Newcastle United and could be on the move this summer, so Eddie Howe needs at least one centre-back coming in the opposition direction.
Newcastle have been linked with LOSC Lille’s Sven Botman, Burnley’s James Tarkowski and Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings, but one surprise name on the list is Burnley’s Nathan Collins.
The 21-year-old joined Burnley on a four-year deal from Stoke City last summer and has gone on to make 22 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals.
Collins was a regular for the Clarets during the second half of their ill-fated season and clearly made enough of an impression to catch Howe’s eye, but Paul Robinson doesn’t think Newcastle should make a move for the Republic of Ireland international.
He believes the Magpies should have their sights set on better targets, telling Football Insider: “There will be a lot of clubs looking at Burnley hoping to pick up a bargain. That is likely the case with Collins.
“Do Newcastle need to be shopping in the Championship though? Look at the money and the players they have now. They should be shopping for players in a different bracket to Collins. I think they should be looking at a different level of player.
“Collins is a good player but he does not go into that Newcastle team and make a difference. Money is no object for them so they should be shopping at the top table.”
Newcastle will go into next season with Dan Burn, Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar, so Howe could do with an experienced centre-back to complement the trio. Collins is still young and has only made 19 Premier League appearances in his career, so there may be better options out there.
In other news, Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn’t worth replacing Callum Wilson for
