Newcastle Make Approach for Goalscoring Centre-Back

According to local papers, Newcastle are considering an approach for Bristol City’s 6ft 6in centre-back, Aden Flint.

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With our Championship opener against Fulham less than a month away, the club have made big moves this week to secure defensive reinforcements.

While a £1m move for Athletico Madrid’s Jesus Gamez is set to be announced in the coming days, a new central defender still remains a top priority for Rafa Benitez. Both Steven Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini have left the club over the past month, and Rafa Benitez has publicly admitted the need for greater depth in that department.

The likes of Craig Cathcart, Grant Hanley and Steven Caulker have all been linked with the club in the past few weeks. But one new name appeared in the press this morning; that of Bristol City’s Aden Flint.

Like Gayle, Aden Flint has had to work his way up the league ladder over the past few seasons. Starting at Alfreton in 2008, he was given a chance by Swindon Town in 2011, before joining up with Bristol City, who he has been with for the past three years.

Since then, he has become a first-team regular at Ashton Gate, and has been linked with the likes of Everton and Sunderland. 

Amazingly, Flint has a goalscoring record that is comparable to some of Newcastle’s most deadly strikers. While at Alfreton he scored 45 goals in the space of three seasons, at Bristol City he has bagged 23 goals in 116 games (a goal every 5 games). 

Flint has scored 23 in 116 games from CB for Bristol. Papiss Cissé has scored 36 goals in 111 games as a striker for #nufc. Goal threat.

— The Spectator’s View (@thespectoview) July 7, 2016

Interestingly, all of the names linked with Newcastle are key players at their current clubs; Grant Hanley captains Blackburn, while Aden Flint has been attracting the interest of Premier Clubs for the past 12 months. As such, it is hard to believe either player would be happy to sit on the bench at St. James’ Park.

Both Lascelles and Mbemba are hugely popular members at the club, amongst both the fans and the players and, following impressive debut seasons for the club last year, many fans had expected them to take the reigns next year.

Just where this new signing will fit in remains to be seen, but I imagine if Flint or Hanley were to arrive, Lascelles would be dropped to the bench or, at most, play a rotational role in this new-look Newcastle side.

What do you think?