The left-back has struggled with injuries in the last three years but now heads down the A19 to Teesside
Newcastle United's Matt Targett (right) celebrates scoring their side's first goal
Newcastle United have effectively said goodbye to Matt Targett after agreeing a season long loan deal with North-East rivals Middlesbrough.
The left-back was facing a season as a back-up player at St James' Park and held open and honest talks with head coach Eddie Howe.
Targett was keen to stay in the North-East and the left-sided player will hope to get a run in the side under Rob Edwards at the Riverside.
However, his time on Tyneside would appear to be up with his current contract expected to expire at the end of the season.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
Content Image
A Newcastle statement read: "Everybody at Newcastle United wishes Matt well during his time at Middlesbrough.
"Matt has joined Championship side Middlesbrough on loan for the 2025/26 season.
"The 29-year-old, who has featured 47 times for the Magpies since arriving from Aston Villa in 2022, makes the switch to Teesside in search of regular football after overcoming injury setbacks in recent years.
"He joins a Boro side who have started the season strongly under Rob Edwards and currently occupy second place in the table after winning all three of their opening Championship fixtures."
It is believed that Boro will pick up a portion of Targett's £100,000 wages. Targett was handed a lucrative deal in summer 2022 after a successful loan stint when signed by Eddie Howe from Villa.
Speaking about Targett last season, Howe said then: "I rate Matt very highly - I really do. It's great to see him come in and do so well.
"Matt was a regular player for us (before injury). He'd done really well in our fight to stay in the Premier League."
Targett, who was carried off at Man United in the League Cup back in 2023, was linked with Leeds United last January but the move never came off after denials at Elland Road. Speaking about his troubled injury history, Targett said: "When I did my hamstring away at Man United and then recovered from that, I think I was back for a week or two and then somehow I got a tear in my achilles, so that set me back another three or four months.
"Going into this season, I knew I’d miss all of pre-season with the team but would try and get back in and around the team for the first games. In my head, I was like ‘OK, it’s not great that I’ve missed all the pre-season games but I’m not missing too much of the season."
Targett was then hit by a skin disease which kept him out for long periods of the 2024/25 season. He said: "I was just focusing on trying to come back as strong as possible for that.
"And then I had the eczema flare-up, which was literally out of the blue and that knocked me for six, so that set me back a bit."
Did you know you can now get Newcastle United stories on WhatsApp? As well as our NUFC communities, we also have a channel dedicated to sending you the best news, opinion and analysis on all things black-and-white.
All you have to do is follow our channel on WhatsApp by clicking this link or you can find us by searching Chronicle Newcastle United.
Updates will then automatically appear if you select the Updates option on your WhatsApp menu and selecting the 'Chronicle - Newcastle United' channel. It's as easy as that. There are already thousands signed up, but remember to turn your notifications on so don't miss out.