An update has emerged on Newcastle United transfer target Jason Knight, regarding interest from another English side…
What’s the talk?
According to ExWHUemployee, West Ham have a ‘strong interest’ in the Derby County midfielder ahead of the January transfer window.
According to Football League World, the Magpies are one of the other Premier League clubs, along with the likes of Everton and Crystal Palace, eyeing him up as a potential target.
Imagine him & Willock
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe may seal a dream midfield pairing by landing a deal for Knight. With Joe Willock, 22, already at the club, the Magpies could have their dream partnership in the middle of the park for many years to come if they sign the Derby talent.
Knight, 20, could play in the Newcastle midfield for the next decade if all goes well and Willock, who is two years older, has the potential to do the same. They could have two talented, young, central midfielders who are constantly improving and growing alongside each other, forming an exciting relationship on the pitch for the fans to watch.
His first-team coach at Derby, Justin Walker, compared him to former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane, saying: “There’s 100 per cent a bit of Roy Keane in him. I started at Forest as a young kid so I had the first-hand experience of Roy.
“I watched him develop at a similar age to Jason when he stepped into Forest’s team. It’s not a lazy comparison, there are some comps in there. But it comes down to self-drive and motivation.”
Their academy director, Darren Wassall, added: “You knew he was a high-energy midfield player, box to box. Scored some goals. There wasn’t anything per se that he needed to improve on, we knew we had a gem in terms of energy and enthusiasm but he can play as well.”
This provides an insight into the type of midfielder he is, with his all-around game meaning that he could be used in a variety of roles at St. James’ Park.
He has two goals and two assists in the Championship for Derby this season, whilst making 1.5 tackles and interceptions per game and winning an impressive 62% of his duels. Willock, meanwhile, has made 2.5 tackles per game and won 51% of his duels this season, after scoring eight top-flight goals last term.
This shows that both players have the quality to play in box-to-box roles and could cover plenty of ground alongside each other, as they have proven that they can get stuck in, defensively, whilst also popping up with goal contributions in the final third.
Therefore, Newcastle could seal a dream midfield for years to come if they are able to land Knight and he is able to adjust to the step-up in class from the second division up to the Premier League.
AND in other news, “We understand”: Craig Hope drops big NUFC transfer update that’ll delight fans…
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