Aston Villa left-back spent the second half of the 2021/22 Premier League season on loan at St James' Park, making 16 appearances; Eddie Howe's Magpies had a deal in place to sign 26-year-old permanently for £15m, which includes £3m loan fee for last season
Wednesday 8 June 2022 17:26, UK
Matt Targett has completed his permanent move to Newcastle after the club activated their option to sign him following his successful loan spell.
The 26-year-old impressed head coach Eddie Howe and the club's new owners, playing every minute of the 16 Premier League matches he appeared in after joining on January 31, helping to steer the club away from the relegation picture and finish 11th, keeping five clean sheets along the way.
Newcastle had a deal in place to make the move permanent for £15m, which includes a £3m loan fee for last season, and have activated the option.
Following the Magpies' 2-0 win over Arsenal on May 16, the former England U21 international appeared to express his interest in joining the club on a permanent basis, when he spoke to NUTV.
"I'm absolutely delighted to sign a four-year contract with this club," Targett told the club's official website. "For me, it was an easy decision to make the loan permanent after the welcome I had from my fellow players, the staff, the supporters and the owners, so I'm really happy to be here."
Howe added: "Matt had a fantastic impact after joining on loan in January and made a big contribution to some excellent team performances.
"He is a great lad and a top professional who undoubtedly makes us stronger, so I'm delighted he sees his future here."
Sky Sports' Laura Hunter:
Not the "revolution people expect", according to Eddie Howe. Hardly a glowing review of Newcastle's prospective transfer policy this summer, however pragmatic.
Financial Fair Play (FFP) will prohibit Newcastle from lavishly splurging in the upcoming window, despite now being one of the richest clubs in world football. They spent in excess of £90m in January alone.
It is clear that a goalkeeper is top of the wishlist, with good options in either Man Utd's Dean Henderson or Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga. There is also some dispute over attacking options - with Chris Wood yet to find his scoring boots and Callum Wilson finding both form and fitness hard to come by.
Rebuilding the squad over time and developing existing talent, as well as a couple of astute additions should provide Newcastle with enough leverage to compete at the right end of the table.
Certainly nothing less than top half would be proportionate to the expenditure next season. Howe's emphasis on "smart moves" over a reckless spending spree should serve the club well in the long term, though.
