Newcastle United are the busiest club in the Premier League at the moment, with Eddie Howe desperately trying to add to his ranks ahead of the closure of the January transfer window.
The likes of Hugo Ekitike and Dan Burn are linked with moves, including Matt Targett from Aston Villa who is on the verge of joining the Magpies on loan until the end of the campaign.
Targett is a reliable Premier League performer but his role as a starter at Villa Park has been placed under doubt due to the recent winter addition of Lucas Digne from Everton.
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The 26 year-old has since become available and once analysing his skill set, he appears to have an underrated quality attached to his game and one that he shares with Kieran Trippier.
Simply put, Targett appears to be an expert at moving the ball forward towards goal based on his numbers this season.
A progressive pass is defined as a complete pass that move the ball towards the opponent's goal at least 10 yards from its furthest point in the last six passes, or a completed pass into the penalty box.
The players who post high numbers in that department are typically strong on the ball, with Thiago Alcantara, Bruno Fernandes and Rodri showing up as impressive in midfield.
The influence of full-backs is rising, though. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joao Cancelo are two examples of players who have began to redefine what it means to be a full-back in possession.
This season, Alexander-Arnold places top of the division as a whole with 188 progressive passes in total, followed by Cancelo in second and Fernandes in third.
Few full-backs are able to compete at the top, but Targett is one who seems capable of moving the ball from A to B. By the same numbers, he places 15th in the league overall.
Once compared solely to other full-backs who have played at least 900 minutes this season, only four players average more progressive passes on a per-90 basis than Targett: Alexander-Arnold, Cancelo, Andy Robertson and Aaron Cresswell.
Targett averages more than Reece James, Kyle Walker and Luke Shaw to name but a few, and he could bring that quality to St. James' Park.
Trippier shares the same quality from the opposite flank. The 31 year-old is naturally inclined to move his teammates into valuable areas and that ability was harnessed by Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.
If Targett arrives on Tyneside before the end of the window, Howe will have added two highly progressive full-backs to his Toon squad as he battles to avoid relegation.
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