In another transfer race with Liverpool, Newcastle United are reportedly already facing a frustrating challenge in signing Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez.
The St James’ Park side must get their transfer business right next year. The summer was too chaotic, and they’ve been paying the price ever since. Had they been more organized and gotten the job done early on, Eddie Howe’s side could have been back in top gear by now.
The reality is that they are far from their best at the moment, and the loss to West Ham United showed that. Howe was understandably disappointed with his entourage and told reporters he could have taken someone off at half-time.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville backed up the criticism, claiming Newcastle had let their manager down with a scathing review of Sunday’s performance.
“I thought they really let the manager down. He’s a great manager. He’s done a great job, but they have a lot of work to do.
“The real difference between the top and the bottom is big in some ways, but if you don’t put in the effort or let your actual intensity go down, you’re going to get caught pretty quickly in this league.
“And today, Newcastle, something unbelievable happened. I thought they were lethargic, short-legged and had a really bad attitude towards that game.”
Newcastle, who are languishing at the bottom of the Premier League after losing to the Hammers, are already looking for a solution for the January transfer window and beyond.
The Magpies’ target list reportedly includes the likes of Alexander Soros, but the striker is not the only player they are eyeing.
Tyneside officials are also reportedly keen to sign Ordonez, but they must first overcome some frustrating issues to secure his contract.
Newcastle push to sign Ordonez
As reported by Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Newcastle are currently in the process of signing Ordonez in a new transfer battle with Liverpool, but the defender’s recent contract renewal poses an initial problem.
The Club Brugge star has put pen to paper on a new contract that runs until 2029. This means the Magpies are likely to have to pay a premium price if they want to sign the defender as early as 2026, with Brugge currently in a better position in negotiations.
O’Rourke told Football Insider: “Liverpool, of course we know about their defensive problems. He is rumored to be linked with Aston Villa, who are also fans of his, and Newcastle are also monitoring the Ecuadorian international.”
“He did very well for Club Brugge, played in the Champions League, played at the highest level and was outstanding for Ecuador in qualifying for the World Cup.
“There was obviously speculation about his future in the summer, but Brugge managed to keep him and in September signed him to a new contract until 2029.”
