Newcastle United are ‘likely’ to sign two players this week, according to The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards.
The lowdown
Last weekend, Newcastle played host to relegation rivals Watford, who sit just above the bottom three. The Magpies took the lead through Allan Saint-Maximin, only for Joao Pedro to snatch a point for the Hornets three minutes from time.
The draw leaves Eddie Howe’s men 19th in the table with just one win and 12 points from their first 20 matches.
Their next match sees them travel to 15th-placed Leeds United on Saturday, with the Whites putting daylight between themselves and the danger zone with back-to-back wins in the league, so it’s fair to say that the pressure is on for the Magpies.
The latest
Edwards took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to write that Sevilla centre-back Diego Carlos is ‘edging closer’ to joining, and while his arrival is yet to be confirmed, senior club officials have been hard at work trying to bolster the squad before the weekend trip to Elland Road.
The journalist is currently unsure about the identity of the second player who’s likely to join, as he tweeted: “Diego Carlos is edging closer to a #nufc move but still not confirmed yet. Told senior club officials have been working round the clock to secure targets and boost squad before Leeds. They have encountered resistance at every turn but 2 players (I can’t get other name) are likely”.
The verdict
Carlos’ impending arrival should be a significant boost given the Magpies’ defensive struggles. They have the worst record for expected goals against in the Premier League, but the hope will be that the 2019/20 Europa League winner with Sevilla shores them up at the back.
Who could the mystery second man be? Perhaps it’s Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata, for whom Newcastle have reportedly made an offer, and the Colombian marksman is believed to be open to joining.
If the Magpies agree to meet Atalanta’s €45m (£37.6m) asking price, that may be a deal they can get done in the next five days.
In other news, Newcastle have made an approach for this serial winner