Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has taken to his pre-match press conference ahead of their Premier League clash with Liverpool to give an insight into the plans for the January transfer window.
The Magpies have had a rough ride over the last month with congested fixtures and injuries hindering their form and Eddie Howe will no doubt be hoping that 2024 will bring a more positive outlook.
Newcastle crashed out of both the Champions League and Carabao Cup in December, and due to poor form are slipping further and further down the Premier League table – currently ninth and eight points adrift of the top four.
The transfer market re-opens again on January 1st and all eyes will be on Newcastle to potentially do some business to add much-needed reinforcements to the squad and ultimately improve their current situation for the second half of the season.
Now, in his pre-match press conference yesterday, Howe has given some insight as to what the plans are for the January transfer window and whether the club will be likely to make any moves or not.
The former Bournemouth boss told the media (via BBC):
“January is always a difficult month,” said Howe.
“We haven’t had those assurances [about funds]. I apologise if I sound like I’m saying the same things, but it is a very difficult month to bring in quality players.
“Financial Fair Play continues to play a part in our decision-making, so let’s wait and see.”
Will Newcastle sign new players in January?
There is no doubt that something needs to change to get Newcastle out of their current slump, and the arrival of fresh faces would be one way to give the squad a boost, while also pushing those players who are underperforming in their positions.
However, as Howe has further reiterated in his comments, Financial Fair Play still holds Newcastle in handcuffs when it comes to splashing the cash more frivolously and it would likely require the sale of another player to provide the club with the ability to make significant investment next month.
It will be interesting to see what positions and roles are prioritised in terms of new signings, but with Sandro Tonali unavailable for selection for the rest of the season it wouldn’t be surprising to see a midfielder join the Tyneside outfit in the coming weeks, with Kalvin Phillips already linked.
Although, another area of concern is the attacking threat which has been depleted by injuries throughout the season so far and adding a prolific finisher on the wider flanks would be massively advantageous to help the side kill more games in a similar fashion to how they did last season.
With that being said, Newcastle will definitely be one to watch in the New Year in terms of their transfer activity, but with financial restrictions it will be difficult to predict what level of spending they can amount to, if any at all.
