Bruce confirms Newcastle admire Leicester man ahead of potential loan
Steve Bruce has confirmed that Newcastle are still pursuing a loan deal for Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhury.
Newcastle are yet to make a senior signing this month and Bruce still feels he needs reinforcements as he looks to reverse their slide towards the relegation zone.
Choudhury emerged as a potential target towards the start of this transfer window. The midfielder has not had many opportunities at Leicester this season.
He has only started one game in the Premier League and has made a further two appearances as a substitute. He did, however, feature in every match of their Europa League group, scoring one goal.
Overall, though, the 23-year-old would have been hoping for more gametime in the first half of the season. A loan exit from the King Power Stadium in January could rectify that.
Time is ticking down, but Newcastle would be a willing suitor. Indeed, Bruce has now confirmed their interest.
“He’s somebody we’ve liked,” Bruce said.
“It’s been reported, but I’m never going to speak about anybody else’s player, I think that would be wrong. But it’s somebody we do like, yes.
“We’ve had to be patient, but we’re still hopeful things will happen. I’ve got one or two calls to make to certain managers in the next 24 hours, but I always knew it was going to be a difficult window, certainly when you’re in the loan market.”
Leicester counterpart Brendan Rodgers has already admitted, though, that an injury to Dennis Praet could affect their plans for Choudhury.
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No assurances over Bruce future
Bruce, meanwhile, is under pressure after overseeing a run of 11 games without a win.
He retains the faith of Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, but knows he needs to turn things around.
Asked about his future, he said: “I wouldn’t expect to be bullet-proof, no.
“I don’t need any assurances.
“Look, we’re in the Premier League, we understand that we’re judged on results and our results haven’t been good enough at the minute.”
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