A big twist has emerged on Newcastle United's pursuit of Manchester United shot-stopper Dean Henderson during the January transfer window...
What's the talk?
Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has revealed that the Magpies are now set to miss out on a deal to bring in the England international ahead of Monday's deadline.
He Tweeted: "Talks have taken place in past 24 hours. Never say never, but I’m told Henderson/NUFC now looks unlikely."
This came after his previous Tweet: "I'm told there is a strong chance of goalkeeper Dean Henderson joining Newcastle on loan from Manchester United."
talkSPORT produced an update of their own earlier in the day - claiming that Eddie Howe is 'unconvinced' by current first-choice Martin Dubravka.
Fuming
Howe will, therefore, surely be fuming with Hope's claim on the club being unable to secure the signing of Henderson on loan.
If he is not happy with the Slovakian being his number one goalkeeper then he would have been delighted to bring in another player to take his place ahead of the deadline.
Last season, Henderson averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.94 as he kept four clean sheets in 12 Premier League appearances for Manchester United. In the 2019/20 campaign, he recorded a score of 7.00 and ended the year on 13 shutouts in 36 matches on loan to Sheffield United.
Dubravka, meanwhile, has kept two clean sheets and averaged a score of 6.87 this term. This suggests that, on current form, the Red Devils shot-stopper could be an upgrade on the current Magpies 'keeper, which is why this could be an excellent signing for the club on loan until the end of the campaign.
At the age of 24, Henderson also has the potential to improve in the future. This means that he could be Howe's long-term number one and be between the sticks for Newcastle for years to come, whereas Dubravka (33) is at the other end of his career.
Therefore, the Toon could be missing out on a player with the potential to have a short and long-term benefit to the club, as he could have been open to a permanent move at the end of the loan. Although, it remains to be seen whether or not that would have been possible.
Henderson's short-term impact and what he could have offered to Howe is why he will be fuming with this news, particularly given his distaste for having Dubravka as his first-choice. It will be interesting to see if the Magpies now look to bring in an alternative option before the deadline...
AND in other news, "Rejected": Journo reveals fresh Jan transfer setback, NUFC fans will be fuming at PIF...