Newcastle's summer defensive plans are being shaped by a basic problem. Valentino Livramento and Lewis Hall are the only recognised specialists on the full-back flanks, and Kieran Trippier's exit at the end of the season leaves the club short of competition at right-back. That is why the rebuild feels practical rather than glamorous, even with money to spend.
Why full-back is the urgent fix
The Mirror Football report is blunt about where the need sits. It calls full-back “the position that Newcastle arguably need to strengthen most urgently this summer.” That lines up with the wider picture too. Newcastle are 12th in the Premier League with 49 points from 38 matches, and their last five league results read LWDWL.
The club's defensive numbers do not flatter the current setup. They have conceded 55 league goals across 38 matches, which makes the lack of depth on the outside even harder to ignore. Livramento's last five league outings show he has been used as the primary right-sided option, while Hall's last five league outings show he has been an ever-present defensive option.
Strasbourg's Guela Doue is one of the names linked with the right side, and he brought 6 assists in 24 Ligue 1 appearances last season. That is the sort of signing Newcastle need here, a reliable option who can cover minutes without asking Hall or Livramento to carry every game.
Newcastle have also agreed a £24.2 million deal for Ewen Jaouen, although the goalkeeper picture has not shut the door on other possibilities. James Trafford is still part of the conversation, so the club's summer work is not confined to one line of the pitch. Even so, the full-back shortage is the sharper problem, and fixing it should come before any grander idea of reshaping the defence.
The cleanest reading is that Newcastle need depth first, not a headline. Hall and Livramento look like the core, but the club cannot go into another season with so little cover behind them.
Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →