Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has spoken out in his press conference this morning to reveal an insight into the plans for the January transfer window.
The Magpies return to action in the Premier League this weekend against Leicester City at St James’ Park and Eddie Howe will be feeling the pressure to deliver a performance the home support can get behind.
Newcastle have fallen in 12th in the league table after a string of poor performances that has left them without a win in their last four fixtures and put them in a challenging position in their ambitions to secure European football for next season.
A disappointing summer transfer window has often been blamed for the club’s failure to maintain the high expectations through this campaign so far and with new sporting director Paul Mitchell in place, it was hoped that the January market would be the ideal turning point for the North East outfit.
However, the Newcastle boss has taken to his pre-match press conference today to put a dampener on any hopes that the club will be active and tenacious in the upcoming transfer market.
Speaking to the media, Howe revealed:
“I wouldn’t expect us to be too active in the market as we currently stand. If we trade (sell) players, that’s different. If we don’t, I’d expect us to be quiet.”
Should Newcastle sign players in January?
There is no doubt that there is huge concern growing on Tyneside, as the club is failing to sustain the Champions League qualifying glory days and has not been refreshing the squad with intention for some time now.
Indeed, financial issues have long plagued Newcastle’s ability to attack the market ambitiously and that will be a contributing factor to the frustrations held by both the club and the supporters.
However, there will need to be compromises made if they are going to build a healthy transfer budget with the sale of fringe players who quite frankly don’t improve the team or offer the quality needed to compete at the highest level.
It is clear that there are areas of the starting eleven that need significant invest including the defensive set up and the right side of the attacking threat, both of which need to be addressed in the immediate to improve the performances and get Newcastle back in the conversation for Europe.
With that being said, the January transfer window is looking like it will be another sore headache for Howe and the hierarchy at the club, so it will be interesting to see if the manager’s words hold weight when the market reopens in a few weeks.
