Consequence

Newcastle United: Federico Fernandez future in doubt as Goncalo Inacio linked

|
Image for Newcastle United: Federico Fernandez future in doubt as Goncalo Inacio linked

Newcastle United defender Federico Fernandez may well have played his last game for the club if the latest rumours are to be true.

The Magpies have recently been linked with a move for talented centre-back Goncalo Inacio, who plays for Portuguese giants Sporting.

Indeed, reports from Record (via Sport Witness) claim that Eddie Howe and co are keen on the defender and even tried to complete a deal this winter.

Considering the limited impact Fernandez has had on the team this season, a new addition to the backline could spell the end for him.

With that in mind, TIF has decided to investigate.

Season to forget

Up to this point in the campaign, Fernandez has started just five Premier League games. He’s made just two further appearances this season from the bench and has only made the matchday squad 16 times in all.

Part of that may well be to some injury issues he’s had, but despite being on the bench on a number of occasions recently, he hasn’t played even a minute of football this year (via Transfermarkt).

Howe has a number of options in the middle of defence too, with the likes of Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles, Dan Burn and even Ciaran Clark all racking up more minutes this season.

Barring a major injury crisis, it doesn’t look likely that Fernandez will even play again this season.

Has Federico Fernandez played his last game for NUFC?

Yes

Yes

No

No

More competition

With the defender barely getting a look-in, his situation could become even less promising this summer. Indeed, it seems pretty likely that the Magpies will go and sign another centre-back.

This supposed interest in Inacio surfacing seems to suggest that Fernandez will have to welcome some more competition in the future.

In the aforementioned report, it is claimed that Newcastle will ‘insist’ on singing Inacio even though his current side are said to not be keen on a sale.

On top of that, German defender Amos Pieper has been another target listed of late, showing the club’s intent to bring in defensive reinforcements.

1 of 8

How well do you remember Newcastle's January transfer window? An easy one to start with: where did Newcastle sign Bruno Guimaraes from?

TIF Verdict…

To make things worse for Fernandez, the Magpies recently showed their faith in Schar by handing him a two-year contract. The Argentinian, on the other hand, will see his deal end in 2023.

If the rumours are true and Inacio does arrive, Howe may well look at Fernandez’s contract situation and try to sell him this summer while he still holds some transfer value.

With all that in mind, the 33-year-old may have already played his last game in a Newcastle shirt.

In other news: NUFC supporters will be loving this Howe footage to emerge from Sky Sports – opinion

Share this article