Newcastle made three January signings, including two on deadline day.
Paul Merson has graded Newcastle United’s January transfer dealings with a B on Sky Sports’ website as Rafa Benitez confirmed the signings of two new players on deadline day.
The Toon had already completed the loan signing of Kenedy from Chelsea, who impressed on his full start against Burnley on Wednesday night in a 1-1 draw that really should have been a victory.
Newcastle also confirmed the loan signings of Islam Slimani from Leicester City and Martin Dubravka from Sparta Prague until the end of the season, as Benitez’s frustration in the transfer window continued to undermine the Toon’s business.
However, Merson was largely impressed with Newcastle’s transfer dealings and believes the signing of Algeria international Slimani could reignite the Toon’s fight against relegation.
“Kenedy alone isn’t going to keep you up,” Merson said. “I’m not being horrible but he won’t, so I’m glad they did a bit of late business on Deadline Day by getting Slimani.
“They needed a forward because they’re not scoring enough goals and someone like him might reignite them.”
Benitez was foiled in his attempts to land a number of strikers before the club confirmed a deal for former Sporting Lisbon target man Slimani, with the Toon having two bids rejected for Nicolai Jorgensen while Daniel Sturridge chose West Brom.
The Toon also allowed Aleksander Mitrovic to leave the club on loan and join Championship side Fulham, where he will link up with fellow Serbian and Cottagers boss Slavisa Jokanovic.
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