Sven Botman transfer swap claim as Newcastle man returns to form | OneFootball

Newcastle have not had the best start to the season, but they have been very impressive from a defensive standpoint. Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest saw a sixth clean sheet in only 10 matches, and at the heart of their strong displays has been Sven Botman.

Botman had a very impressive first season at Newcastle upon signing from Lille in 2022, but after that, he was plagued with injury problems – which started after he tore his ACL. However, he has returned to the starting line-up in recent weeks, and that has also seen Eddie Howe’s side improve defensively.

Eddie Howe underlines Sven Botman importance to Newcastle

Sven Botman in action for Newcastle United (Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images)

Speaking after the victory over Forest (via Newcastle World), Howe expressed his delight with Botman, whom he rates incredibly highly.

“I can say I’m really pleased with Sven and Malick, I think they’ve done very, very well together. I thought they could play together, but you need to see it work. But it doesn’t mean anything other than the fact that they’ve done very well to this point.

“I was really down (when he tore his ACL) because we’d lost an outstanding player, character, person, but distributor of the ball. Short and long range, he brought the other side of the pitch into play a lot when we were under pressure and we lost that from our game. And that was a huge blow. Not only that, he’s a man-mountain. He’s a physical beast which, in this league, you need. I thought we catered really well with his absence.

If Botman is able to maintain his strong form for the remainder of the season, Newcastle could see another transfer saga in 2026 – but this time, for him. Liverpool are said to have shown interest in recent months, and this could intensify if Ibrahima Konate leaves next summer.