Newcastle United’s stance on potential transfer move for Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall becomes clear | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall did appear on Premier League side Newcastle United’s transfer radar this month, although he was lower down on their shortlist than others according to Nottinghamshire Live.

The 25-year-old has been a shining light for the East Midlands outfit in recent seasons, performing admirably alongside Scott McKenna and starring as one of the Welshman’s key men in their rise from relegation battlers to genuine promotion contenders.

There hasn’t been a shortage of top-flight interest in the centre-back in the last year, with a whole host of clubs chasing him earlier on in the previous summer transfer window before Southampton registered their interest in August as a potential replacement for Jannik Vestergaard who signed for Leicester City.

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Eddie Howe’s side’s interest in the Forest academy graduate first became apparent last month when it was reported by the Mirror that Everton and the Magpies were set to battle it out for his signature.

However, a move away from the City Ground has been all but ruled out following the news that Worrall had broken his ribs and was set to be absent for six weeks because of this injury.

This may not have been too detrimental to Newcastle’s transfer plans though with Sevilla’s Diego Carlos seemingly higher up on their shortlist and no shortage of money to spend following their takeover back in October.

Carlos is just one of many central defenders being linked with a move to St James’ Park, with AFC Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly and Lille’s Sven Botman also reportedly being monitored by officials at the top-tier side – and Nottinghamshire Live’s Sarah Clapson has confirmed that Worrall wasn’t one of their top targets.

The Verdict:

As a boy who was born near the City Ground and an academy graduate, Worrall will probably want to make one last push for promotion with his current side before looking for a move elsewhere, with a transfer to the Premier League looking inevitable at some point.

Under Cooper’s stewardship, he knows his side have the best possible chance of getting promotion to the top tier and their signings have certainly been a statement of intent this month with the club’s eyes firmly focused on the Premier League.

Not only does he have the ever-reliable McKenna alongside him – but former AFC Bournemouth captain Steve Cook has also joined and with the duo as his partners in the backline – it’s not as if he will feel he’s carrying the team in terms of their defence and that will reduce the likelihood of him pushing for a move.

And for the Magpies, they may feel they need a player with more top-flight experience considering the relegation battle they currently find themselves in, so leaving his potential move until the summer would have been their best option regardless of his injury.

It’s no surprise they have been looking at the centre-back though – because manager Howe has become accustomed to the EFL from his time with Bournemouth and may want to lure a few gems from the second-tier to St James’ Park.