Pardew gets defender cash

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has confirmed that owner Mike Ashley has given him the green light to bring in a new central defender in January.

Newcastle boss given green-light to buy in January

Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has confirmed that owner Mike Ashley has given him the green light to bring in a new central defender in January. The Magpies have lost Steven Taylor for the rest of the season, and the club are looking for a potential replacement. West Ham's James Tomkins and Montpellier's Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa are known to be high on their list of targets, whilst AC Milan defender Taye Taiwo is also rumoured to be a target. With a deal for Sochaux striker Modibo Maiga already in place, Pardew looks set for a busy January. "Mike asked me when am I going to get a centre-half," Pardew revealed. "It's about making sure we get the right one. When you look at centre-halves it is easy to get it wrong. "You can look at David Luiz, who is finding it difficult, he was £18m and he didn't play the last game. "So it doesn't matter what you spend, you have to get the right one."