Newcastle United consider swoop for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez

Newcastle United are considering a summer swoop for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez.

Joe Gomez

Joe Gomez, 25, has been with Liverpool since 2015 but is yet to really unlock his true potential owing to chronic injury problems and lack of consistency. The Englishman has come into Jurgen Klopp’s side at different points of the current campaign to fill in when Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have sat out with an injury. He has made 29 appearances across all competitions, including 19 league outings for the Reds.

Gomez is under contract at Anfield until June 2027 after signing a new long-term deal last year, but he could leave the club in the summer transfer window as he isn’t assured of regular starting minutes. The 25-year-old has emerged as a potential target for Newcastle United, with his agent Haydn Dodge confirming the Tyneside club’s interest in signing the centre-back.

“It is quite well known that Newcastle United have long admired defender Joe Gomez as they look to bolster their centre-half options ahead of several players being out of contract this summer,” Haydn Dodge told Caught Offside.

Newcastle planning to bolster their defensive options

Newcastle United have enjoyed a fantastic 2022/23 campaign and remain in the hunt for a top-four spot. One of the prime factors for their success has been the watertight defence. Having conceded just 19 goals in 26 Premier League games, the Magpies currently enjoy the best defensive record in the division.

Fabian Schar and Sven Botman have thrived as a pair in central defence, delivering a series of impressive displays. Dan Burn, who is also a centre-back, has done a fine job at left-back in a flat back four. Botman, Schar and Burn becoming mainstays of the Newcastle defence has restricted Jamaal Lascelles’ game time this season.

Lascelles has had to settle for a bench role, making just nine appearances thus far. The centre-back’s contract expires at the end of the season and he is expected to leave St. James’ Park on a free transfer.

With Lascelles set to leave, the Toon Army will need to strengthen their centre-back options, especially if they qualify for Europe.

Joe Gomez emerges as a potential target for Newcastle

Joe Gomez has not really managed to nail down a starting berth at Liverpool, regardless of his eight-year-long stay since arriving from Charlton Athletic. Recurring injury problems and inconsistency has hampered his progress, with the defender not yet managing to play 30 league games in a season.

As the 11-cap England international finds himself behind the likes of Van Dijk, Konate and Matip in the pecking order and is not assured of game time next season, a move to Newcastle could be ideal for him. Having won every major honour with the Reds, Gomez could be tempted to join Newcastle in order to kickstart his stuttering career should they come up with an offer.

The 25-year-old is edging towards the best years of his career and might feel he needs to play regularly to force his way back into Gareth Southgate’s England squad. If Eddie Howe thinks Gomez has the ability to challenge Schar and Botman for a starting berth, as well as bolster his defensive unit, Newcastle must make an attractive offer to prise him away from Anfield when the transfer window reopens.

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