Newcastle United are considering a move to bring Taylor Harwood-Bellis back to the Premier League, according to reports.
What's the latest on Harwood-Bellis' future?
Eddie Howe currently has Sven Botman, Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Dan Burn as his options at centre-back, but with the possibility of the latter departures in the backline – particularly with Lascelles currently out of favour – a reinforcement could be needed.
Sky Blues starlet Harwood-Bellis is an academy graduate from Manchester City having worked his way up through the youth ranks, but having made just eight senior appearances, not to mention that he’ll be out of contract next summer, his future beyond the upcoming window is looking uncertain.
The England U21s international has spent the majority of his professional career out on loan, carrying out spells with the likes of Anderlecht, Stoke City and Burnley, where he’s excelling under the guidance of Vincent Kompany, and this high standard of performance has caught the eye of the hierarchy at St James’ Park.
According to 90min, Newcastle are showing a “strong interest” in Harwood-Bellis and are “considering” making an approach at the end of the season. The 6 foot 2 colossus would “like to make the grade” at his parent club, but understands that he is very far down the pecking order, therefore potentially making him consider a permanent switch elsewhere.
The report also claims that the Clarets are looking to bring him back to Turf Moor next season whether it be on loan or for good, but could be dealt a roadblock by the interest from the north-east outfit. The Magpies have the 21-year-old on their radar, but are set to face plenty of competition from several of their top-flight rivals, including West Ham, Fulham and Brentford.
Would Harwood-Bellis be a good signing for Newcastle?
Harwood-Bellis might only be in the early stages of his career where he's developing and discovering the extent of his own potential, but with the attitude of a "warrior", as lauded by journalist Josh Bunting, he could be a fantastic addition for the long-term at Newcastle.
Burnley's centre-back has been an absolute rock at the heart of their backline this season and is strong on and off the ground, where he's currently averaging 3.3 clearances and 3.1 aerial duel successes per league game, via WhoScored. The £7k-p/w talent is also a threat at the opposite end of the pitch, having scored ten goals and provided five assists since the start of his career displaying a decent record for a defender (Transfermarkt).
Finally, compared to his defensive peers playing at a similar level of competition over the past year, Harwood-Bellis ranks in the 99th percentile for the number of passes attempted and the 95th for progressive passes, as per FBref, so he's more than comfortable playing out from the back and pushing his team up the pitch, which will be yet another extremely attractive attribute to Howe if he can make the step up to the Premier League.
