This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Fulham have joined the race to sign Aston Villa full-back Matt Targett this summer.
According to the Northern Echo, the Cottagers are willing to match Newcastle United's option to buy the 26-year-old this summer, which is reported to be a fee of around £15 million pounds.
Targett has spent the second half of the season on loan at St James' Park and has been a consistent performer at the back for Eddie Howe's side.
However, they are said to be unsure as to whether or not to make his temporary switch to the North East a permanent move.
Targett previously had a loan spell at Fulham in 2018.
With that being said, we asked some of our writers here at FLW for their thoughts on the links between Targett and Fulham, and whether or not he would be a good addition at Craven Cottage.
Declan Harte
Targett is the kind of Premier League experience that the club should be looking to sign this summer.
Left-back isn’t a hugely concerning position within the team, with Antonee Robinson and Joe Bryan both performing well there this season.
But Targett would likely be an upgrade over either player, so would be an overall great addition to the squad.
This will be a costly fee, so Fulham should also be absolutely sure that this is a deal they feel will add value to the side’s potential for results.
Targett also performed well during his first stint with the club in 2018, and has only improved as a player since then
Josh Cole
This could turn out to be a fantastic bit of business by Fulham if they are indeed looking to bolster their defensive options by making a move for Targett.
During his recent loan spell at Newcastle United, the left-back illustrated that he is more than capable of delivering the goods in the Premier League.
In the 16 league games that he participated in for the Magpies, Targett made 2.6 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game as he averaged a WhoScored match rating of 6.99.
By replicating these performance levels in a Fulham shirt, Targett could help the club achieve a relative amount of success in the top-flight next season."
Alfie Burns
Targett has progressed so much since his previous stint with Fulham, to the point where he’s now a dependable Premier League left-back.
The 26-year-old has helped Aston Villa establish themselves in the Premier League, whilst his form since joining Newcastle United on loan has been superb, too.
Moving to St James’ Park had its obvious perks, but it was also a difficult place to go and play back in January.
However, he’s impressed under Eddie Howe and, in truth, you’d be surprised if Newcastle aren’t back in for his signature this summer.
Whether Fulham can compete with that financially, then, remains to be seen.
One thing to consider is whether or not Fulham need a player like Targett with Joe Bryan and Antonee Robinson floating around their squad.
There’s very little doubt Targett would be a good addition, given his quality, it’s just whether or not Fulham need that kind of financial outlay in a position where they look fairly strong.
The money involved might be better pushed elsewhere.