Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe may feel grateful that his side's dreadful run of form has come during the transfer window as it offers him the chance to strengthen his squad in weaker areas.
One of the Magpies' biggest issues over the past few weeks has been how easy the midfield are to play through. Against Liverpool on New Year's Day, Howe used four different players in the middle of the park throughout the match and all four were dribbled past seven times in total as the Reds registered a Premier League record xG.
Nonetheless, the manager is reportedly eyeing up one player who can put Newcastle's midfield on lockdown.
Newcastle United transfer news – Kalvin Phillips
According to a report from Rudy Galetti earlier this week, Newcastle are still in talks with European champions Manchester City over the possible loan signing of Kalvin Phillips before the January window closes. Juventus, who were also in the running, recently admitted that Phillips is no longer a transfer target, paving the way for the Magpies to come out on top.
It has also been reported that Man City are seeking a £7.5m loan fee but also want the inclusion of a £40m obligation to buy clause inserted into the player's contract. Meanwhile, head coach Pep Guardiola revealed back in October that the door would be left open for the former Leeds United midfielder to complete a January exit.
The England international has played just 319 minutes in total for the treble-winners this season which has been spread across ten appearances. Newcastle could offer the 28-year-old a career lifeline by bringing him to St. James' Park until the end of the campaign to make up for the loss of Sandro Tonali, who is absent due to a lengthy suspension.
Kalvin Phillips' stats this season
Since moving to the Etihad Stadium eighteen months ago for £42m, Phillips has played 31 games in total for the club. In the meantime, he has picked up five trophies and is currently averaging one trophy every 5.2 matches under Guardiola.
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Nonetheless, with the Euros kicking off in Germany this summer, Phillips may need to get some minutes under his belt if he is to claim a seat on the Three Lions' plane.
Right now, Newcastle lack depth and quality in their midfield department. Since Tonali's suspension earlier in the campaign, Howe has been forced to use Bruno Guimaraes in a deeper position, operating as the lone six in the side's 4-3-3.
However, the Brazil international is far from an excellent defensive player and even ranks quite low in most out-of-possession metrics this season when compared to all other holding midfielders in Europe's top-five leagues – also earning a measly 4/10 match rating from the Chronicle for his recent display at Anfield.
Statistic
Percentile Rank % – Europe's Top-Five Leagues
Tackles
Top 32%
Tackles In Middle Third
Top 32%
Blocks
Bottom 35%
Shots Blocked
Top 45%
Passes Blocked
Bottom 32%
Interceptions
Top 50%
Clearances
Bottom 19%
Stats via FBref
As the table shows, the former Lyon man is not great for getting stuck in defensively and given the team's recent struggles, Howe could benefit by using him in a more advanced position as a central midfielder. The Brazilian has played this role 62 times in his career, recording six goals and five assists.
Signing Phillips on loan would allow Howe to do this. The Englishman has it all as he can carry out his defensive duties just as well as his attacking ones. Former Champions League-winning manager Fabio Capello even once described Phillips as the "best modern midfielder" he had ever seen.
Statistic
Percentile Rank – Europe's Top-Five Leagues
Tackles Won
Top 23%
Tackles In Defensive Third
Top 32%
Shots Blocked
Top 11%
Interceptions
Top 36%
Clearances
Top 11%
Passes Completed
Top 1%
Progressive Passes
Top 31%
Stats via FBref
Phillips is excellent defensively and can help progress the team further up the pitch, but would also Bruno to be more creative in the opposition's half. It's no wonder Howe is keen to complete this deal.
