The January transfer window officially opened last week Newcastle United The winter market can be used to bolster their roster ahead of the second half of the season.

The Magpies moved into fifth place with a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Premier League standings, which could earn them Champions League qualification for the 2025/26 season.

Eddie HoweThe team are in contention for a second time in Europe’s top cup competition during his tenure and could add more quality to the squad to provide momentum ahead of the final months of the season.

Newcastle United have so far recorded 10 wins and 5 draws in their first Premier League games, scoring 34 goals and conceding only 22 goals.

It shows Howe already has a well-rounded squad that offers plenty of attacking and defensive quality in the top flight, meaning they don’t have to make wholesale changes to the squad in this window.

However, one or two quality additions could improve the squad and Newcastle are reportedly in the transfer market to bolster their options at the heart of the defence.

Newcastle interested in Ligue 1 giants

According to CaughtOffsideNewcastle United are just one of a number of teams interested in signing RC Lens centre-back Kevin Danso before the February deadline.

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The report claims that the Magpies, as well as Premier League sides Wolves and West Ham United, are keen to sign the former Southampton giant, who played in England’s top flight during a loan spell at Saints in the 2019/20 season.

It added that European sides Juventus, Inter Milan, Roma, Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce and Villarreal could also compete for his services ahead of the second half of the season. This suggests there may be plenty of competition for the centre-back and it won’t be an easy deal for Howe and his side to pull off.

CaughtOffside revealed Lens are seeking a fee of up to €30m (£25m) to allow their star defender to leave the club this month, although it remains to be seen whether interested clubs are prepared to pay that much. His signature.

The report describes it as an “affordable” price, but does not make it clear that Newcastle agree with this view, so it is unclear how likely the Magpies are to get a deal done at this point.

However, if Howe and the recruitment team can secure Denso’s move, then he could join up and join Sven Botman in the backline moving forward.

Sven Botman successfully returns to competition

The Dutch defender made his first appearance for Newcastle since March, starting alongside Dan Burn at centre-back in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Tottenham.

Despite playing on the right side of the team, Botman, a left-footed player, put in an outstanding performance to help his side take all three points against Anj Postkoglu’s side and Excellent in possession of the ball.

As you can see in the table above, the former Ajax starlet made a number of important defensive interventions throughout the 89 minutes to prevent Martin Dubravka from being troubled while not allowing any Spurs players to Dribble past him.

The 24-year-old star’s best form will come in 2022/23, his first in England, as he Played 36 times In the Premier League, he helped the team keep 11 clean sheets and qualify for the Champions League.

Boatman Ground confrontation winning rate reaches 68% He played 66% of the division’s aerial games that season, demonstrating that he has the defensive qualities and physical strength to regularly overwhelm opposing attackers on the ground and in the air.

As a left-footed player, the Newcastle star is also expected to play on the left side of the team, which is part of the reason why he is a dream signing this month.

Why Newcastle should sign Kevin Danso

Firstly, the Austria international is a right-footed defender who operates on the right side of defence, meaning he could complement the left-footed Botman well and be part of a balanced combination.

Secondly, and most importantly, Denso’s performances for Lens in Ligue 1 have shown that he is capable of forming a strong partnership with the Dutchman from a defensive perspective.

As you can see in the image above, the Austrian giant, analyst Ben Mattinson claims, “Fast” recovery speedbased on their respective status over the past 365 days, provides more ball-handling ability than Botman as an improved passer and ball-handler.

It shows that Denso can step up as the attacking player of the two on-ball players and push Newcastle up the pitch, while the Dutch ace can sit back and focus on being a dominant defensive force.

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old is better than current Newcastle right-footed centre-back Fabian Schaal in a number of key defensive metrics.

Schaal, who turns 34 this year, could provide an experienced and quality squad option, and if the club can agree a deal for Danso, Danso seems capable of becoming a good and long-term replacement for the Switzerland international.

His numbers at Lens show that he is capable of joining Botman at the heart of the backline, both in possession and out of possession, as he is an improved passer who is also dominant in the air and is good at Cut off the opponent’s attacks.

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