---
title: "‘Comical’ – Newcastle United player slammed for performance vs Everton"
canonical: "https://readnewcastle.com/2026/08/12/comical-newcastle-united-player-slammed-performance-vs-everton/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Sourav Mahanty"
section: "Newcastle United News"
published: "2026-08-12T20:14:22Z"
modified: "2026-08-12T20:14:24Z"
---

# ‘Comical’ – Newcastle United player slammed for performance vs Everton

Matthias Jaissle will have learned a lot about his [Newcastle United](https://readnewcastle.com/2026/08/12/palhinha-agreed-personal-terms-fabrizio-romano-newcastle-united/) squad from their pre-season game against Everton. The Magpies were handed a 3-1 defeat.

If the 2-1 win over a 10-man Valencia side had raised hopes, this display will have dashed them. And there are now serious question marks over some players and whether they are good enough to be starters.

One area where Newcastle United have not strengthened so far this summer is centre-back. They have an ageing backline with Dan Burn and Fabian Schar both 34 years of age now.

On the other hand, Sven Botman has dealt with plenty of injury problems. And his performance against Everton were nowhere near the mark.

## Newcastle United player looks like a ‘shell of the player’ they signed

Charlie Bennett of [Newcastle World](https://www.newcastleworld.com/sport/football/newcastle-united/newcastle-united-player-ratings-everton-8916973) gave Botman a player rating of 3 out of 10 for his display against Everton and he wrote:

> A comical air kick led to Everton’s first goal. Looks like a shell of the player Newcastle signed four years ago.

Lee Ryder of [Chronicle Live](https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-player-ratings-everton-34446535) gave him a bit higher rating of 5 out of 10 but also acknowledged the issues he has faced recently:

> Lost the ball on halfway to Barry. His pre-season struggles continue.

So, if Newcastle United are viewing Botman as a nailed-on starter moving forward, it might be time to review those plans once again.

Now, it is true that you cannot read too much into pre-season displays. Then again, when there is a pattern developing, and the start of the Premier League campaign is less than two weeks away, you cannot ignore what you are seeing either.

## Newcastle need to sign anothe centre-back

Botman is still just 26 years of age. So, the hope is that this is just a dip in form and he finds his form and fitness at some point in the near future.

That being said, Newcastle United cannot enter a season based on that. They need someone more reliable for that spot. And to be fair, they have been linked with a few names over the past weeks.

There had been links with Fikayo Tomori of AC Milan. But that noise has completely died down in recent times. It no longer feels like something that is on the cards.

Giorgio Scalvini of Atalanta is another player thought to be drawing Newcastle United’s interest. And signing the 22-year-old Italian international might not be the worst idea in the world.