Newcastle United target Championship giant in bid to fix defensive issues
Newcastle United are preparing a bid for Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, per a report.
The Magpies have the worst defensive record inside the Premier League this season, conceding 37 goals from 17 games. Following this, Eddie Howe has highlighted defenders as a key area for improvement in the January transfer window. Now, it has been reported by The Times that Newcastle are looking at 6 ft 4″ centre-back Adarabioyo to sharpen up their backline.
The 24-year-old has been a key figure at Fulham this season, with the Cottagers currently top of the Championship table.
Adarabioyo has mad 18 league appearances, only missing three in November due to suspension.
But it would appear that the former Man City youth player hasn’t just impressed Newcastle with his performances this campaign.
The report also indicates that former Toon boss Steve Bruce was monitoring the defenders transfer status throughout last season.
Adarabioyo has never played inside the Premier League, having formerly featured for West Brom and Blackburn inside the Championship.
However, former Rovers team-mate Darragh Lenihan believes the young defender is ready to make the step up.
Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, Lenihan said: “He’s brilliant. His distribution is excellent, he’s quick, he’s big, he has all the attributes.
“I’ve said to him that he has all the attributes to play for Manchester City in my opinion.”
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Fulham left-back makes ambitious claim
Meanwhile, Fulham defender Joe Bryan believes his side are capable are winning every game against Championship opponents.
Fulham are currently top of the table, and are looking to gain automatic promotion to the Premier League.
And speaking to the club’s media team, Bryan claimed Fulham have more than enough quality to achieve this.
He said: “I think with the quality of the squad we’ve got, any points that we don’t get are seen as dropped points.
“We should be trying to pick up maximum points in every game.
“There are very few games in this league that we would look at and be happy to draw.”
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