As the Premier League season winds down, the transfer rumor mill has heated right up. With Championship Sunday less than a week away now, it’s time to cast an eye at the player movement market.
There is no shortage of rumors when it comes to the transfer market. Follow this series throughout the summer as I look at the likelihood of some of the transfer rumors doing the rounds and whether I think they will work out.
Dean Henderson
What a strange year it has been for Manchester United goalkeeper, Dean Henderson. At the end of the 2020/21 season, it seemed like the academy product was on the verge of a first-team breakthrough. He had made 13 league appearances and seemed ready to take advantage of an aging David de Gea.
The number one shirt seemed Henderson’s for the taking. It is safe to say it didn’t work out that way, as David de Gea rediscovered his form of old.
Poor Dean Henderson has warmed the bench all season as a result.
It has also been a strange season for Newcastle United. The Magpies had a horrible start to the season. On the pitch, they had only won one game on January 22nd. Of course, off the pitch, in October, the Saudi Sovereign Fund took the club over, instantly making them the richest club in the world. The transfer market was now their oyster.
It was to the surprise of no one that after they had splashed some of that newfound wealth, results improved. Things have improved so well that they are a realistic shot of finishing in the top half of the final 2021/22 Premier League standings.
Not too far off of Manchester United.
There’ll be plenty of positions that need an upgrade during the off-season. Today we are talking about the goalkeeper role. Eddie Howe has got Dean Henderson in his sights as his number one target.
A loan deal was spoken about in January but could not be agreed upon.
Reports suggest that now a full transfer seems more likely with a fee of around €20 million.
LIKELIHOOD 90%
Henderson’s price tag of €20 million is not prohibitive to the uber-rich Newcastle. Dean Henderson is also likely to push for a move away from Old Trafford if they do not make him the number one by incoming boss Erik Ten Hag. I think this looks like a good deal all around.
Newcastle gets an upgrade on their current goalkeeping situation, and United makes a decent profit on an academy youngster.
Henderson also gets a chance to push for an England call-up to the World Cup squad this year.
Stuart Kavanagh is an up-and-coming sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is also the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.