The Newcastle United starting lineup that takes to the field against Manchester City this coming Saturday in the Premier League will be an interesting one to predict.
Of course, Dan Burn will be unavailable owing to suspension, but another defensive alteration could see Nick Pope drop out of Eddie Howe’s plans for Aaron Ramsdale to start in between the sticks. After all, the ex-Burnley goalkeeper has shipped a leaky six goals across his last two league outings.
Moreover, Harvey Barnes might well feel he’s in line for a start, having scored Newcastle’s only goal last time out, as Brentford soured the mood even more on Tyneside when inflicting a 3-1 loss on the Magpies.
Moving into the near future, past Newcastle’s showdown with the Citizens, Howe also has the January transfer window hurtling into view now, if he wants to add more star quality to his ranks to try and fix their inconsistencies.
After Smit: Newcastle looking to bolster their defence in January
The PIF-backed Magpies could well splash the cash in January to try and jump up the table, away from their current lowly 14th position.
Indeed, rumours are already circulating that the Toon have AZ Alkmaar rising star Kees Smit on their potential shopping list, with GIVEMESPORT revealing that Howe and Co will need to fork out £22m to land the promising Dutch midfielder.
With two goals and four assists in all competitions this campaign, he could prove to be a worthwhile purchase, in giving the likes of Joelinton a run for his money centrally.
At the back, Newcastle are keen on landing a utility figure to boost their shaky defensive ranks in Celta Vigo’s Oscar Mingueza.
Football Insider have speculated that his La Liga employers are now tempted to cash in on the 26-year-old when the window reopens, as his contract expires this coming summer.
Newcastle will believe they can pick up a similar Malick Thiaw-style steal by swooping for the four-time Spain international’s signature, as another defender who is untested in the Premier League prepares to take the English game by storm.
How Mingueza could be Newcastle's next Thiaw
Last season, on the way to the Toon clinching an impressive fifth spot in the final Premier League rankings, Howe often relied on the commanding duo of Fabian Schar and Dan Burn in the heart of defence.
This campaign, on the contrary, chinks have appeared in the Newcastle armour courtesy of their old guard, leading to the Tyneside giants starting with Thiaw over the likes of the Swiss international, who is proving to be an inspired pick-up from AC Milan for £30m.
The German has stood out as a determined battler, completely unfazed by the challenges of his new environment, winning 4.9 duels per game across his eight Premier League starts.
In stark contrast, the tried and tested Schar has won just four on average when sparingly used. Thiaw has been so impactful, in such a short space of time, that he has even been labelled as the “future of this club” at the back by Magpies’ captain Bruno Guimaraes.
History could repeat itself with the addition of Mingueza to the ranks in the coming months, with analysts Breaking the Lines boldly declaring that the 26-year-old is “one of the best right backs in Spain”, with Kieran Trippier perhaps feeling restless about his first-team minutes moving forward if the versatile defender is to leave Claudio Giráldez’s men behind, for a chance in England.
RB
35
3 + 4
RM
32
2 + 5
LB
13
1 + 1
CB
11
0
LM
6
1 + 2
RW
1
0
CM
1
0
Before delving further into Mingueza’s strengths as a malleable presence, he would easily usurp Trippier in the right-back spot when comparing their 2025/26 numbers side-by-side.
The Celta number 3 has one goal and two assists to shout about from eight La Liga starts so far this season, when predominantly being used in the right-back position, with a strong four big chances also created. His ex-Atletico Madrid counterpart has no goals and assists; on the contrary, despite making one more Premier League appearance, with zero big chances also worryingly created.
Therefore, yet another usual mainstay under Howe could fall to the wayside with Mingueza’s arrival, much like Schar has to stomach, ever since the fresh blood of Thiaw arrived on the scene.
Capable of playing as a centre-back and as a midfielder, too, it really does feel like Mingueza swapping Spain for Tyneside could be a move that initially goes under the radar, that’s then viewed as a masterstroke, much like Thiaw leaving Italy behind for St James’ Park is already being viewed as.
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ByTom Cunningham