On Friday, Geordie Boot Boys exclusively revealed that Matt Targett was close to leaving Newcastle United for a loan move to Middlesbrough.
This summer has not all been about the arrivals on Tyneside; Eddie Howe has made the decision to let some key figures at Newcastle United go.
Callum Wilson was released by Newcastle upon the expiry of his contract, and has since joined West Ham United. The 33-year-old has come off the bench in both of the Hammers’ Premier League games, but has not been able to make an impact.
Elsewhere, Sean Longstaff was signed by Leeds United for £15million, and the club agreed to terminate Isaac Hayden’s contract. The midfielder had not played a competitive game under Howe since 2021.
Now, Geordie Boot Boys understand that Matt Targett is set to be announced as a Middlesbrough player, with the 29-year-old joining on a season-long loan to get more game time. While an announcement is all that is needed, there is one Newcastle player who will quietly be pleased about Targett’s departure.
Alex Murphy arrives at St James' Park for a friendly between Newcastle United and Atletico Madrid.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Alex Murphy benefits from Matt Targett leaving Newcastle United
Targett was not even named on the bench for Newcastle’s draw against Aston Villa last week, despite scoring in a pre-season friendly against Espanyol the week prior.
It has been a tough couple of years for the defender, who has struggled with injury problems throughout his Newcastle career, and eventually lost his place in the starting XI to Dan Burn and Lewis Hall.
Targett gets a chance to reinvent himself at the Championship side, meaning academy ace Alex Murphy will naturally move up the pecking order at left-back.
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Murphy was loaned to Bolton in January, where he got more experience of the professional game and impressed manager Steven Schumacher. The 21-year-old was also part of Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Asia, starting against Arsenal.
With Targett leaving, Murphy could now become second-choice left-back if Howe puts enough trust in him this season, meaning he could be exposed to Champions League football and memorable Premier League games.
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While Murphy is one option at left-back, Howe can also utilise Burn and Tino Livramento in the position if he wishes.
It remains to be seen whether Howe will look to sign another left-back before the transfer window closes, or if he will be happy to spread his squad depth around so other defenders can cover.
Either way, Murphy is an option and could be exposed to more Premier League football after his debut in November 2023. The Irishman has received a lot of praise in the past, especially when he was out on loan last season.
“Alex stepped in and I thought he was brilliant. It was his best game for Bolton, definitely,” Schumacher said in March.
“He had done the match prep but not the 11 v 11 stuff yet in training, but I thought he was great. Sometimes in games since we have been here it has maybe taken him 10-15 minutes to get going and get up to the speed of the game.
“That can sometimes be the case with young players who have come out of academy football. But he was brilliant, he slotted into that left-hand side centre-back role, which was perfect for him because he is a bombing, running-forward, full-back really.
“So, for him to play that role and nail down the tactics of what we wanted, it actually suited him, and he was excellent.”