Newcastle United

Newcastle United: Liam Kennedy drops big claim on Matt Targett and his future at the club

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Image for Newcastle United: Liam Kennedy drops big claim on Matt Targett and his future at the club

Newcastle United journalist Liam Kennedy has given his thoughts on loanee Matt Targett and whether or not he’ll be returning to the club next season.

Of all the players that were signed by the club in the January transfer window, with the 26-year-old joining on a loan deal until the end of the season, and it’s fair to say he has made one of the biggest impacts at the club in his first few months at St James’ Park.

He is currently averaging 1 interception per game, which is the joint sixth-most in the side; 1.9 key passes, which leads the team; 0.9 dribbles, which ranks fourth; and 38 passes, which ranks second in the team (via WhoScored). All of this has helped Newcastle put a run together that has helped put them in a promising position to stay in the league.

However these performances have also garnered the attention of other teams around the country, with TEAMtalk hinting that Fulham, one of Targett’s former sides, could be set to show an interest in his future this summer.

Speaking on the latest edition of NUFC Matters (40:46), Kennedy, when asked by a fan whether or not Targett would sign for Eddie Howe’s men in the summer, hinted that whilst there may be some other offers on the table for him, a lot will depend about the player and how happy he is at the club and that talk regarding other clubs might simply be a ploy by the agent to try and make things better financially.

He ultimately concluded though that Targett would make the move back to St James’ Park:

“Yeah, I think he will. I think he will, I think he’ll want to as well. And I think the club want to sign him too. So I think that’s a deal they’ll probably get done relatively easily and quickly. Unless, of course, they feel like they can potentially upgrade or he’s not happy, you never know with these things.

“But he doesn’t strike me as a player who looks particularly unhappy. So I think if there’s the idea of offers, it’s probably only his agent trying to make sure he gets the right wages for his player.”

TIF Thoughts on Liam Kennedy’s comments about Matt Targett at Newcastle United…

Will Newcastle United sign Matt Targett permanently?

Yes

Yes

No

No

Given how well he has settled into the side, and given the ambition that the club have shown, it doesn’t seem likely that a player would want to turn down the opportunity to be a part of the next stage of what is going on at Newcastle United.

And even though Kennedy mentions the possibility of an upgrade that might help them try to get to that next stage, it does seem counterintuitive to try and bring someone in that would need to get used to the system when they have someone who is already showing what he can do.

So as Kennedy hints at, it does seem like so long as Newcastle can come up with the money, which shouldn’t be a problem for them, then this is a deal that should be quick and easy as Kennedy mentions.

In other news: Insider drops big Newcastle claim that could mean curtains for 32 y/o ace – opinion

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Freelance sports journalist & broadcaster.