Marc Guehi disaster will be forgotten at Newcastle if they can hijack deal for World Cup winner - Opinion

Newcastle United have a golden opportunity to put their Marc Guehi woes behind them by snapping up a World Cup-winning free agent.

The Tyneside club had a summer to forget after missing out on their top transfer targets and losing sporting director Dan Ashworth to Manchester United.

A new centre-back was at the top of their shopping list and Newcastle United pushed hard to sign Marc Guehi, but they had multiple bids rejected for Crystal Palace including a club-record offer of £70m.

It became clear in the final hours of the window that Newcastle United had missed out on Marc Guehi and that the club had turned their attention to bringing a new right-winger in. But their last-minute £50m bid for Anthony Elanga was also rejected by Nottingham Forest.

There is no avoiding the fact that it was a miserable transfer window for the Magpies, but there is one final opportunity for Newcastle to salvage their summer business.

Newcastle should hijack Mats Hummels deal

Missing out on Guehi was a blow, but not signing a top-quality centre-back as an alternative was a disaster for Newcastle.

Eddie Howe is now left with a below-par centre-back department with only Lloyd Kelly joining the club to strengthen it this summer.

The English transfer window has now slammed shut, but clubs can continue to sign free agents to bolster their squad – luckily there is one free agent on the market who could save their summer. Mats Hummels.

The 35-year-old German left Borussia Dortmund as a free agent this summer after his contract expired, and he is yet to land a new club despite receiving plenty of offers.

Hummels is in talks with Roma over a potential deal, while West Ham have also shown an interest in Hummels since the window closed.

Newcastle have an opportunity to hijack the deal. He would be the perfect short-term solution to strengthen their defence so they can splash the cash on a younger option in January or next summer.

Mats Hummels is still top class

If anyone took a glance at Hummels’ age and thought he was finished – think again.

He was named in the 2023/24 Champions League Team of the Season after playing every single minute of Dortmund’s road to the final.

READ MORE: Newcastle could still sign ‘world class’ forward compared to Anthony Elanga on a free transfer

With a World Cup winners medal in his trophy cabinet, Hummels would provide invaluable experience and leadership at St James’ Park while acting as a great mentor for 24-year-old Sven Botman.

It is an opportunity Newcastle simply cannot afford to let slip.