Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has started work on January transfers by identifying three areas within the squad that still need strengthening, according to the Chronicle.
The regional newspaper reports on its website that the Spaniard has already held discussions with head of recruitment Steve Nickson about options that they could consider pursuing in the January transfer window.
Benitez has accepted the fact that loan moves for players abroad will have to be a viable option in the New Year, and has started to make enquiries to ensure that they get the best out of this window.
The Magpies’ manager has identified three roles within the squad that he believes needs the most tweaking – a striker, a midfielder and a left-back, but the understands that the club’s shoestring budget may limit him in his search.
OPINION
Newcastle did not do the worst in this transfer window, particularly as they brought in two new strikers in ths shapes of Salomon Rondon and Yoshinori Muto. However, Rondon is only on loan for the season, so it is not guaranteed that he will stay beyond what is stipulated in his contract. This may be one of the reasons why Benitez is seeking to add another forward to the ranks in order to improve their depth. Nevertheless, he may not be in favour of too many loan moves, as these do not provide long-term solutions to any problems that he may feel need addressing. As for a left-back, this is one of the most important roles that he needs to recruit cover for in January, as he has already been left exposed this season due to injury. With midfielder Kenedy also on loan, he certainly needs to find a midfielder who is willing to join the club on a regular basis. He has some strength in the midfield, but he cannot rely on the likes of Jonjo Shelvey to be the main man.
