Indeed, the Magpies had to break a world record to land Alan Shearer after letting him slip through the net as a young’un, but that’s unlikely to have to be the case if the latest rumours about a hindsight signing are to be believed.
Newcastle and Bournemouth are inextricably linked via Eddie Howe these days and it almost invokes an involuntary eye roll as soon as the Magpies are connected with a Bournemouth player by the media.
Antoine Semenyo is perhaps the most high-profile case right now with Newcastle desperate to find a solution to the right-wing nightmare.
Newcastle are looking at Marcus Tavernier after releasing him at 14
However, The Boot Room are claiming that it’s not just Semenyo who has caught Newcastle’s eye with Marcus Tavernier being the subject of some scrutiny by the club.
Marcus was part of the Newcastle youth set-up like his older brother James who went on to have a decent career north of the border.
Newcastle released Marcus when he was just 14 and he ended up going to Middlesbrough before ending up at Bournemouth in 2022.
Marcus Tavernier is having a good season so far with Bournemouth
Now 25 years old, Tavernier is having a great start to the season with Bournemouth having popped up with two goals and an assist already in 12 games.
The versatile midfielder is more comfortable on the left but can play on the right and could be a relatively inexpensive option for Newcastle.
However, we don’t really see this one going anywhere. If Eddie Howe is going to raid his old club it’s likely to be for Semenyo rather than Tavernier.