Newcastle United have made their intentions clear as they have announced their first high-profile signing in the form of Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid, for a reported fee of around £12 million. The English right-back was heavily linked with Manchester United during the summer transfer window ahead of the ongoing season, but the deal did not materialise after some disagreements between the two parties regarding the transfer fee for Trippier.
Trippier, who had 18 months left on his contract with Atletico, is the first signing for the Magpies following the takeover backed by a Saudi-based consortium. Manager Eddie Howe, who replaced Steve Bruce in the summer, had previously signed him in 2012 when he was in charge of Burnley.
The versatile Englishman was part of the Spurs squad that made it to the UEFA Champions League final back in 2019 and subsequently left the London-based club to join the current La Liga champions.
Trippier has been hugely successful at the red side of Madrid, as he has fit perfectly into Diego Simeone’s system. Trippier was also sensational at the Euro 2020, as England progressed to the final, where they eventually lost to Italy. He made 83 appearances for Atletico following a deal that set the Colchoneros back 20 million.
Newcastle are languishing at 19th place in the Premier League, following a tumultuous start to the season. With the takeover bringing in substantial funding, it is assumed that Trippier is only the first of many such high-profile signings that await the club in the near future, as they aim to rebuild and restructure the club.
Trippier will be joining the club for a two-and-a-half-year period, as was announced on Newcastle’s social media handles.
“I’m delighted to be joining this fantastic club,I really enjoyed my time in Madrid, but when I became aware of interest from Newcastle United, and having worked with Eddie Howe before, I knew this was where I wanted to be.”
the 31-year-old said.
Howe also conceded that he has admired Trippier for a long time, and therefore seized the opportunity to sign him, when it arose:
“When the opportunity arose to secure him, we didn’t hesitate. A lot of hard work has gone into planning for the January transfer window long before the month began, which is clear in how quickly we have been able to complete this move.”
