Newcastle United face an important January transfer window as Eddie Howe looks to bolster his squad for the second half of the season
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The Newcastle United scouting network used to spend life in the car park working from portacabins at the club’s Benton HQ.
That’s something that changed under new owners as sporting director Dan Ashworth brought the recruitment team closer together by moving them back inside the refurbished training centre. Toon head coach Eddie Howe essentially has had the final say on transfer targets since coming in as manager in late 2021, and he will again ahead of his third winter window as gaffer.
But Howe and Ashworth will hold one final scouting summit meeting before business gets under way. One of the most intriguing winter windows since the takeover could be about to unfold.
The big positive is that Newcastle chiefs have already assured Howe and his backroom team they will help them whatever way they can. Although, FFP figures, in terms of what might be available, are yet to land on Howe’s desk.
Howe has not been withholding any information in Press conferences when asked about transfer targets with the 46-year-old insisting he is unsure on what he wants in the next window. Of course, he and his backroom team will have an idea on which players they like in each position but the message from within has been similar during the Magpies’ horrendous injury crisis in the last two months – and that is: “Things could change.”
It’s why Howe’s scouting team led by Steve Nickson have had to keep plans fluid in the last couple of months. As of last week, Howe had not submitted a list of targets to his scouts and so Newcastle’s talent spotters, with Nickson and senior scout Mick Tait travelling up and down the country and overseas, made sure they had a thorough check on all positions.
However, one thing was accepted by United’s men in the stands and that was that shopping plans will probably revolve around the two key areas that have left Newcastle skating on thin ice. Here we look at the areas where Newcastle will leave no stone unturned.
The midfield area remains a big issue with Sandro Tonali’s ban leaving a big gap in the squad for the second half of the campaign. You couldn’t make it up what happened wth United and AC Milan.
Milan strongly claim they knew nothing about Tonali’s betting issues and Newcastle maintain there’s nothing they could have done about it, Howe told Chronicle Live this week: “I don’t know how we could have known that situation – unless you are going into a player’s financial details, which isn’t allowed.
Yet the situation now is clear and simple, Newcastle have a squad place that needs to be filled in midfield and it’s where their January shopping could start. Injuries to Sean Longstaff, Joe Willock and Elliot Anderson have compounded the Tonali ban blow.
On the flip side, 17-year-old Lewis Miley has stepped up with no fuss whatsoever, easing the situation considerably for Howe. It means that the pressure has been reduced but given the spate of midfield issues, it has highlighted how quickly things can change.
If Newcastle do end up in a battle for honours in the final third of the season, they will also need that experience. Kalvin Phillips on loan has been mooted throughout the autumn as a possible incoming deal from Man City.
That is partly to aid his own European Championship chances, but Howe must consider what is best for Newcastle, not individuals. He needs a number 6 or a number 8 to bolster that midfield or ideally somebody who can play in both slots.
Botman has not appeared since the 8-0 thrashing away to Sheffield United back in September. A back injury to Dan Burn has restricted central defensive options yet further and left Newcastle wrapping stars like Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles in cotton wool.
In fairness to the pair, Newcastle have got through it but Botman’s defensive masterclasses have been a miss and he is integral to how Newcastle play these days the way he can defend in an unflappable manner and bring the ball out of defence.
Whether Botman returns in the next fortnight or not, United are still only an injury away from being in the same predicament in the heart of defence. A knock for Schar or Lascelles over Christmas and Newcastle are back on the brink.
Longer-term, Newcastle will have Lascelles out of contract in the summer and while there has been every indication he is worth a new deal, talks on an extension have been kept under close wraps.
Whatever way you look at it, if Newcastle are to challenge at the business end of the table they need two quality competitors to challenge in each position. At the moment they don’t have that at centre-back.
The fact that Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak have barely been fit together this season has not been lost on anybody. In an ideal world Howe wants both available so he can make switches in the final third during the clutch of three-game weeks Newcastle have faced this term.
Howe admitted recently: “We’ve lost our ability to rotate”.Anthony Gordon’s form has been a real basis for Newcastle with the Scouser bringing six goals to the table for Newcastle.
But for Howe to get the best out of Gordon, he needs more cover in the central area. Stuttgart star Serhou Guirassy has been linked but it remains to be seen whether Howe would take such a plunge especially with Harvey Barnes closing in on a return.
Newcastle scouts have been checking out younger alternatives who can show an ability to fight for their place and learn from Wilsona and Isak in training. Squad balance is a big thing in the eyes of Howe, who doesn’t want any sulkers on board.
Even with injuries cutting into the squad, a new striker has not been the priority given the bigger issues in defence and midfield. Argentina Under-17 star Augustin Ruberto was watched by youth scout supremo Paul Midgley.
Although, the likes of Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Man City are already in the queue for Ruberto so it could be a difficult deal to do. Either way, Newcastle assess all of their options when it comes to finding a younger striker and Academy scout Paul Baker has also put in plenty of miles since the last window shut.
Eddie Howe was quick to shut down suggestions that he was interested in signing free agent David de Gea in the aftermath of Nick Pope’s shoulder injury.
It would hardly have been a vote of confidence for Martin Dubravka if he had talked up the Spain international so the prospect of a new goalie can’t be completely dismissed. Again, like the centre-back situation, Newcastle must cover themselves in the event of further injuries.
If Dubravka picked up a knock, Newcastle are then left with Loris Karius and Mark Gillespie. Karius has played in just one senior goal in the Carabao Cup final and Gillespie hasn’t played since 2020 at senior level.
Newcastle may want to take a look at their options during January and see how much progress Pope is making with his shoulder. A new stopper still can’t be ruled out.
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