Newcastle United need to prioritise defensive reinforcements in the January transfer window and have been told Conor Coady would be a 'brilliant' addition.
That is the view of pundit Noel Whelan, who believes the Wolves centre-back and England international is a 'fantastic defender'.
The Sun have claimed the 28-year-old is on a list of transfer targets for the mid-season window, with the new owners keen to strengthen to preserve Premier League survival.
Newcastle remain second bottom despite Saturday's draw at Crystal Palace, and basement side Norwich City are the only team to hold a worse defensive record.
Coady has previously spoken positively of the impact of the Magpies takeover on the division, and a fee of £20m has been mooted for a January deal.
Former Coventry City and Leeds United striker Whelan believes Newcastle are well stocked in attacking areas, and need to shore up at the back to pull themselves clear of danger.
He told Football Insider: “He’s a brilliant defender and consistency is what you will get from him.
“Newcastle have struggled defensively for a number of years now, so getting a defender like him into the spine of that side will be massive. That’s the first place I’d be looking.
“You have Wilson, Saint-Maximin and Almiron in the attack, so you have enough there but the frailties are at the back and at centre-half, for me.
“Connor Coady is a player you would be more than happy with at your football club. He’s got the leadership qualities, he’s an England international now and he is a very consistent performer for Wolves.”
