Newcastle United sought a centre-back during the summer transfer window, and Sky Sports presenter Pete Graves expressed surprise that they did not pursue Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite.
The Magpies had a relatively quiet transfer period, mainly signing squad players rather than potential starters. Lloyd Kelly, who joined on a free transfer, has made a positive impact, but William Osula and Odysseas Vlachodimos are not expected to be key figures this season.
Despite adding Kelly, Eddie Howe’s team continued to search for another centre-back but ultimately failed to finalize a deal. Speaking on the Transfer Talk podcast, Graves noted his surprise that Newcastle did not target Branthwaite after missing out on Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi.
Graves commented, “Newcastle fans have lost faith in Emil Krafth and Jamal Lascelles. With Sven Botman injured, they were relying on Dan Burn and Krafth as centre-backs. Newcastle was keen on Guehi until the end of the window but couldn’t secure him. I was surprised they didn’t consider Branthwaite as an alternative, though he wasn’t a target for them.”
Branthwaite attracted significant interest, with Manchester United making several bids that Everton rejected, valuing him around £70m. Fabrizio Romano also mentioned that Newcastle was very close to agreeing a deal for Guehi, but it did not materialize.
