With the January transfer window right around the corner, Newcastle United are in desperate need of some reinforcements all over the pitch if Eddie Howe is to turn his team’s form around.
Alongside right-wing, we are particularly weak in the centre-back position with Dan Burn and Fabian Schar currently holding down those spots while Sven Botman continues his recovery from an ACL injury.
Reports earlier this week hinted at a change in transfer strategy, with a focus on overseas talent leading us to Johan Bakayoko at PSV, and it seems the club are also tracking a young defender over in Belgium.
According to TBR Football, Newcastle had scouts watching over Club Brugge’s 2-1 win against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, focusing on Brugge centre-back Joel Ordonez.
This is not the first time we’ve been linked with a move for the 20-year-old who rose through the ranks at Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle, the same club that produced Moises Caicedo, before making the move to the Belgian Pro League.
During the game, Ordonez played a key role in helping to keep Viktor Gyokeres quiet – some feat based on his current form – as they secured a big victory against the Portuguese giants.
The defender also played the full 90 minutes in their 1-0 win against Aston Villa last month, so he’s no stranger to Premier League opposition and has plenty of top flight admirers, with TBR revealing that Chelsea are also tracking the South American.
At 6ft 2, Ordonez is a dominant presence both on the ground and in the air which is exactly what Newcastle need at the minute having repeatedly shown to be far too weak at the back so far this season.
However, the Ecuadorian also has the ability to play out from the back, quite similar to Antonio Rudiger at Real Madrid, and could be perfectly suited to Premier League football under the right manager.
Ordonez typically plays as a right-sided centre-back, making him a potential replacement for Schar who is now 33-years-old and a long-term partner for Botman.
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