Newcastle United hand Middlesbrough big boost ahead of January | OneFootball

Matt Targett is set to last the full campaign at the Riverside Stadium

Newcastle United have handed their North East rivals, Middlesbrough, a welcome boost ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

According to the Northern Echo on Monday afternoon, the Magpies have no intention of recalling experienced defender, Matt Targett, from his loan spell at the Riverside Stadium despite the fact Eddie Howe is currently enduring an injury crisis within his defensive department.

Targett was initially signed on loan by Rob Edwards towards the end of the previous summer transfer window, in what would also prove to be the 42-year-old's only opportunity to make changes to the Middlesbrough squad after he replaced Michael Carrick in June.

Indeed, it has been well-documented that Edwards - much to the dismay of Boro supporters and chairman, Steve Gibson - made the controversial decision to join his former club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, last month, with the Old Gold and Black still rooted to the foot of the Premier League table as we head towards Christmas and the New Year.

Kim Hellberg has since enjoyed a remarkable start to life as head coach on Teesside, with the Reds winning all four of the Swede's first matches in charge after he made a switch of his own from Allsvenskan outfit, Hammarby IF.

Despite receiving plenty of plaudits for how Middlesbrough have fared since the first of those outings against Derby County on November 29th, Hellberg is yet to make any sort of swooping changes to his starting lineup, which has seen Targett remain one of the most senior figures on a regular basis.

And, with Hellberg soon allowed to make any changes he deems necessary, as the club currently find themselves second in the Championship table after 21 games - just five points behind leaders Coventry City - it will come as a welcome boost that the defender is set to last the season in red and white.

Newcastle United hand Middlesbrough major transfer boost involving Matt Targett

Targett has enjoyed an extremely respectable career path to-date, becoming a household name in the Premier League for the likes of Southampton, Aston Villa and Newcastle before dropping into the second tier with Middlesbrough for the current campaign.

The 30-year-old has racked up over 160 top-flight appearances since making his senior debut in August 2014, with the bulk of those coming for Villa between 2019 and 2022, when he signed for Newcastle on a permanent basis after they agreed an initial loan deal with the West Midlands side shortly after the club's high-profile takeover from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.

The aforementioned permanent deal came at a cost of £15m for the Geordies, with Targett penning a four-year contract at St James' Park in the process. However, it clearly hasn't been a successful move for all parties beyond Aston Villa, who have since emerged as the clear winners in said deal.

Targett has made just 47 appearances for the Magpies since then in all competitions, and with the last of those coming in the FA Cup fifth round defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on March 2nd, it wasn't the greatest of surprises that Howe looked to move on the out-of-favour full-back in some form with less than one year left on his contract.

Middlesbrough have since got the best out of Targett, who has featured at centre-back, left-back and left midfield, scoring a well-taken finish in the 2-2 draw at Preston North End in September and the initial equaliser against Derby in Hellberg's first game, whilst also posting an exquisite assist for Tommy Conway against Sheffield United in August.

The former England youth international, who is said to be earning an ESTIMATED base wage of £60,000 per week, soon revealed that he was open to making his loan switch permanent, and those chances have certainly been boosted by the Northern Echo's revelation that the defender is set to last the season at the Riverside.

It has been stated that such a move has not been seriously considered, although it cannot be entirely ruled out depending on any potential circumstances that could soon unfold.

Whilst several players have been influential in Middlesbrough's impressive start to the season, Targett's influence cannot be understated.

It is clear as to how the Eastleigh-born defender has played so many games in the Premier League, with his experience and versatility proving to be vital assets for Edwards and now Hellberg, who has introduced an unrelenting style of play at the Riverside.

As such, it is a major boost that there are no concrete plans, at present, for Newcastle to activate the break clause within the loan agreement.

If Targett's own stance has since remained unchanged despite a change in the Middlesbrough dugout, then adding his services on a permanent deal, particularly if promotion is achieved, would be seen as a no-brainer.