Middlesbrough officials will no doubt watch the Premier League clash at Anfield with a close eye
10:00, 31 Jan 2026
Matt Targett of Middlesbrough prepares for a free kick
Matt Targett of Middlesbrough prepares for a free kick(Image: SmartFrame/News Images)
The most important match today on Teesside will be Middlesbrough’s clash with Norwich City at the Riverside. But there will be interest and significance for Boro in the Premier League clash between Liverpool and Newcastle United later in the day.
While hopefully celebrating a fifth consecutive victory for Kim Hellberg’s side, Boro officials will no doubt watch the Newcastle game with a keen eye, as they await news on whether loan star Matt Targett will be staying on Teesside for the rest of the season, as planned.
The current expectation is that the left-back will remain at Boro for the entirety of his season-long loan. However, as reported earlier in the month, Newcastle were forced to request an extension on the recall deadline.
Owing to a defensive injury crisis, Newcastle gave Boro the ultimatum of allowing them to extend the deadline for a Targett recall to the end of the window, or they’d have been forced to recall him ahead of the initial deadline, on January 12.
Targett has made clear that he wants to stay at Boro, with Magpies boss Eddie Howe hoping to be able to respect that wish. The 30-year-old is in the final year of his Newcastle contract and is enjoying regular game-time at Boro after two frustrating years at St James’ Park.
The key factor now is Newcastle getting through Saturday’s clash with Liverpool at Anfield without suffering any new defensive injuries, having recently been boosted by returns.
On Wednesday evening against PSG, Lewis Hall completed the full 90 minutes as a wing-back, while Dan Burn made his first start since the derby defeat against Sunderland, and can cover at left-back.
Burn’s recovery from injury was always believed to have been the key to Targett’s future. Newcastle will feel they have enough to get by until the end of the season without recalling the loan star, providing Hall and Burn stay fit.
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That’s why the Liverpool-Newcastle game has such strong significance for Boro. They’ll no doubt be watching on and hoping both defenders make it through the 8 pm kick-off at Anfield unscathed.
Boro have been monitoring the market in recent weeks and keeping a close eye on what left-backs may be available just in case. Thankfully, with the transfer deadline not until 7 pm on Monday, Newcastle should know by Sunday if a recall is required or not, offering Boro time to react if they need to.
As things stand, however, the hope and expectation is that won’t be necessary, and Targett will remain at Boro, where he has played a key role in their promotion push so far.
One loanee who could still leave before Monday, however, is Sverre Nypan. Man City are said to be considering their options, with the young Norwegian midfielder struggling for game-time.
The terms of the loan agreement mean Boro are unable to end the deal early, but Man City can. It’s something they are currently considering, according to our sister paper the Manchester Evening News.
While finding an alternative loan for the young starlet is one possibility, it is claimed that City may even recall him to just return to Manchester, even though he’ll be unable to play in most games.
Due to the homegrown quota rules, Nypan wouldn’t be able to play in either the Premier League or Champions League in the second half of the season. But it’s said that they see value in him returning to just train with Pep Guardiola and his City stars.
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