If any club really needs the January transfer window, it’s Newcastle United.
Newcastle may have rich new owners in PIF, but the Magpies are really struggling.
Relegation to the Championship is a real concern, and Newcastle simply have to splash the cash to get new signings in and stay up.
With that in mind, here is our five-point transfer for plan for Newcastle’s January window…
Sign defenders quickly
If there’s anything Newcastle need to do in January, it’s add defenders who can provide a strong backbone.
Ciaran Clark’s errors have become a real problem, whilst Fabian Schar’s future is unclear.
Eddie Howe needs to bring in one or two central defenders to give Newcastle the boost they need at the back.
Joe Rodon and Sven Botman are two interesting names linked, and if Newcastle don’t bring in these defensive additions, they will find themselves in the Championship.
Add more quality in midfield
Joe Willock hasn’t quite hit last season’s form, and whilst Howe must try to get him back on track, he also needs more in midfield.
Newcastle can’t realistically rely on the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden to take them forward in this new regime.
Adding midfielders who can control games consistently had to be a priority.
Links to Marcelo Brozovic and Denis Zakaria are exciting, and adding a player of that kind of quality would give Newcastle an enormous boost.
Sort out director of football
One situation Newcastle’s new owners haven’t quite sorted yet is their director of football role.
A host of names have been linked, from Jason Wilcox to Michael Emenalo, from Ramon Planes to Luis Campos.
Newcastle enter this window with no director of football, and instead have new consultant Nick Hammond playing a key role.
A deal for Brighton and Hove Albion’s Dan Ashworth would be hugely exciting, even if it comes too late for him to have a huge impact on January deals.
You never know though; Ashworth is one of the top directors around, and if Newcastle get him in, we could see the Magpies take major steps forward.
Focus on Premier League experience
When Newcastle target these new signings, they will ultimately need some players who can make an instant impact in the Premier League.
As much as names like Brozovic, Zakaria and Botman are exciting, they need to be supplemented with Premier League experience.
Kieran Trippier, James Tarkowski, Ross Barkley, Nat Phillips – these are all players linked with Newcastle who can make a quick impression.
That may come with a price, especially from other Premier League clubs, but Newcastle don’t have time to waste.
Time for some to go
For Newcastle to move forward, they need to say goodbye to some players who won’t be coming on this journey.
The likes of Emil Krafth, Dwight Gayle, Clark and Hayden aren’t going to take Newcastle where they want to go.
A full squad churn won’t be possible in January, but shifting some players to bring in new faces has to be a focus.
This is a big window for Newcastle, and they will have to start quickly to get everything achieved and eventually stay up.
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