Kieran Trippier is expected to arrive into the North East on Wednesday to complete the final steps of his £12m transfer to Newcastle from Atletico Madrid.
The England right-back will undergo a medical and is set to sign a two-and-a-half-year contract with the option of a further year.
Newcastle and Atletico agreed a deal to sign Trippier as the conclusion of smooth and positive talks on Tuesday.
The club will pay £12m plus add-ons to make the 31-year-old the first signing of the new Newcastle era under the Saudi Arabia-backed regime.
Atletico hoped Trippier would stay, but the defender made it clear he wanted to return to England.
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Magpies boss Eddie Howe worked with Trippier while in charge of Burnley, signing the right-back from Manchester City in January 2012 after an impressive loan spell at Turf Moor.
Newcastle’s owners hope to recruit at least three more players this month as they look to keep the club in the Premier League.
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They are second-bottom in the table having played 19 matches in the league this season, two points from safety.
Will Trippier deal trigger more arrivals?
Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol told the Transfer Show:
It’s fantastic news for Newcastle fans.
I think other players that have been contacted by Newcastle will now be looking at Kieran Trippier and thinking, ‘Well, he’s an England international, he is going to make that squad much stronger, he’s improved their chances of staying up. Maybe I should be looking at that as well. If he’s up for it, maybe I should be up for it as well’.
It will be difficult for Newcastle to sign other players, but I think they definitely will, especially from what Keith Downie and Pete Graves are telling us. They’re in the market for other players, I think they will be trying to do loan deals as well, but it’s a fantastic start to the window for Newcastle.
It’s also really significant that they’ve done this early in the window, because we know they’ve got some big, big games coming up and Kieran Trippier is 100 per cent fit, and it looks like he is 100 per cent committed and up for the challenge.
Analysis: What would Trippier bring to Newcastle?
Sky Sports’ Peter Smith:
Newcastle set an unwanted record in 2021: the 80 goals they conceded was the most ever recorded in a calendar year by a Premier League team. This season, in their first 19 matches, they have let in 42 – only eight sides have ever let in more at that stage in the Premier League.
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That leakiness has proved costly, with Newcastle dropping more points from winning positions than any other side in this campaign.
Throw in the fact that Newcastle have allowed more shots on their goal than any other Premier League team this term and the picture is plain: this is a defence which badly needs reinforcements in January.
Eddie Howe – who has not been able to orchestrate a significant improvement in that department since taking over from Steve Bruce – has turned to a familiar face for help.
Howe coached Trippier for two seasons in the Championship when both were at Burnley 10 years ago. Since then Trippier has gone on to become one of Europe’s top right-backs, reaching a Champions League final with Tottenham before winning La Liga last season with Atletico Madrid, where Diego Simeone’s coaching has improved his defensive skills.
Trippier’s reliability and creativity from crosses and set-pieces have made him a favourite of England boss Gareth Southgate, too, who turned to him at key moments throughout the team’s run to the Euro 2020 final last summer before handing him the captain’s armband for the World Cup qualifier with Andorra in October.
If Newcastle are able to bring him to St James’ Park, Trippier will add leadership, experience and quality to the backline. Newcastle will need strengthening in other areas too but it would be a transfer that would boost their hopes of securing Premier League survival.
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