Liam Kennedy reckons that signing players like James Tarkowski in January will improve Newcastle's chances of staying in the Premier League.

Following the confirmation of their £305m takeover earlier this month, the Magpies have reportedly been given £190m to spend in the next window.

But according to the Telegraph, one of their first signings could cost far less than that, with Burnley centre-back Tarkowski keen on a move to St James' Park.

Newcastle are currently 19th in the table following their winless start to the season and are already three points from safety, although Kennedy is confident that the England international would give them a better chance of avoiding the drop.

What do the stats say about Tarkowski?

The 28-year-old falls into that category of centre-backs that don't perhaps get the credit that they deserve, partly because he plays for Burnley and not a bigger club.

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But Tarkowski, along with teammate Ben Mee, has been one of the more reliable defenders from players outside of the top-six in recent years, missing just five games across the last three seasons.

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According to WhoScored, Tarkowski has been Burnley's fourth best player this term with an average rating of 6.94 and has continued to prove himself as one of the most dominant players aerially in the league.

Despite Burnley sitting 18th in the table, the former Brentford man has kept up his end of the bargain, averaging 4.1 aerial duels won per game, which is the sixth most in the Premier League.

And whilst Burnley have conceded 15 goals already this season, the fixture list hasn't been kind to them having already played Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, plus they've had difficult trips to Everton and Leicester.

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Despite the Clarets being in almost as bad of a position at Newcastle, Kennedy reckons that signing Tarkowski will boost their survival chances.

What did Kennedy say?

He told GIVEMSPORT: "James Tarkowski, he would be a really solid signing for a relatively low amount of money.

"He is the type of player that if you played him in Newcastle's team, they'll be much better suited to staying up in May than what they are now."

Would Tarkowski start for Newcastle?

Tarkowski is not the glamourous signing that perhaps many Magpies supporters will be expecting in the coming windows, but he might be equally as important.

All good teams start from the back and having conceded 20 goals already this season, it's clear that Newcastle need to fix their defence.

Therefore, Tarkowski would walk into this current Newcastle side, with the likes of Ciaran Clark and Emil Krafth simply not cutting it, meaning the Burnley man would be a welcome addition on Tyneside.