The top priority of Newcastle? – Why signing centerback is absolutely essential this summer

However, the club has difficulty finding their feet in the transfer window and it is a growing possibility that Eddie Howe will not get the first team improvements he needs.

The Alexander Isak Saga has been the main story in the city in recent days. It has underlined the need for attacking reinforcements. If there is a chance that he will leave the club, it is essential that at least two central attackers have been signed.

That said, Center Back should have been the priority position this summer. It is the area of the pitch where we need the most to need quality injection. Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are all excellent players for the club in themselves. That said, as a collective they have clear shortcomings and it would be a risk to enter a busy season without additives.

Three out of four are now older than 30 years. It is difficult to know when they will physically refuse, but father’s time comes for all of us and that can be accelerated faster if they are asked to play more than should.

Kieran Trippier was a good example in our previous Champions League campaign. He was used too much and his body suffered. The performance of the full-back in Tottenham away from home were as bad as we saw. That should serve as a warning to demand too many demands on a player in the dusk of their career. They must be protected.

Further to the age profile of our central back options, we have missed it in that position since the acquisition of physicality and athletics. Howe likes to play with a high line and it has been dependent on the radical skills of Nick Pope. None of our middle back options is blessed with recovery pace and that is a tactical option that we can benefit from.

In the Champions League, games are played on Express Speed and almost every club has pace in their forward line. Fabian Schar and then Burn can both be terribly exposed to that level. It would probably mean that Howe should give them protection and that could remove our attack.

Sven Botman is the unknown quantity. In theory he should be the jewel in our defense. At his best he is one of the best centerbacks in the Premier League, but we have not seen that level of performance for more than 12 months for more than 12 months. He has sustained with knee injuries and his recovery is not effectively managed by the club.

Already in the preseason there have been photos of Botman who wore heavy tying around his knee, while others speculated about a weak. There were also concern when he only limited Arsenal in his cameo with a suspected height problem in his cameo. Hopefully we get the best version of the Dutchman back, but he must be carefully managed and there will be constant concerns about his fitness.

In addition to three of the four above 30, two of our middle backs are on the recovery of ACL injuries – Botman and Lascelles. That will be a concern to enter a season in which we will compete on several fronts.

If you take all these things, it is clear that we have to sign a center back this summer. Ideally, we will sign a right fish center that is comfortable on both sides. Marc Guehi has always been the perfect profile for us, because of his age, athletics and tactical flexibility. However, it now seems that Liverpool is in front.

There will be other options throughout Europe. Every new signing can be relaxed in the team, but without a different center-back would be a huge gamble. If they choose not to do that and we see injuries and physical decline, we will only blame. We cannot distract the current Isak circus from this.