Newcastle United have been praised for their transfer swoop for defender Dan Burn by former Premier League player Stan Collymore, who says he was surprised by the decision to sign the Blyth-born defender. 

The Lowdown: Newcastle's transfers under PIF 

Since the PIF takeover of Newcastle back in October last year, the Magpies have been rather active in the transfer window in terms of bringing new players to St. James' Park.

Big name figures such as Sven Botman, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak have all made moves to the Tyneside club during the previous summer and January windows, but they have also added real experience and know-how with cheaper moves for the likes of Burn and Matt Targett.

And it appears that Newcastle's move for the towering defender, who is picking up a weekly wage of £35k-per-week, has been the focus of praise by Collymore.

The Latest: Newcastle praised for Burn transfer

Speaking to Caught Offside, Collymore admitted the Burn deal caught him by surprise, but was full of praise for PIF and the player himself:

"Their signings have been excellent. Dan Burn, for example, he was not a player that I thought their new owners would go for, but they have and what a solid addition he’s been. The same can be said for all their new arrivals.

"They have bought in players, particularly in defence, who are big, powerful and most importantly, humble. Genuinely solid signings and it’s showing."

The Verdict: A smart move from Newcastle

After joining the Toon from fellow Premier League side Brighton back in January for a fee of £13m, the defender ultimately ended the previous Premier League campaign with the highest average of clearances per game (6.1) at the club as well as the fifth-highest overall performance rating (6.98/10) from WhoScored.

Across the 13 league games that the Englishman has played for Eddie Howe's side this season, the defender has racked up the second-highest number of clearances (42) at the club as well as having the second-highest number of tackles made in the attacking third of the pitch (5).

Bearing in mind how the Toon have the best defensive record in the league at this stage of the season with just ten goals conceded, it's easy to see how much of a useful defensive figure he is for the team.

Overall, we agree with Collymore that Newcastle's transfer move for Burn has been a very smart one, and it will be intriguing to see how they mix signings like the local lad with bigger, more expensive names going forward.