Danny Mills makes ‘Championship’ jibe about Newcastle United’s January transfer business

Dan Burn. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Former England defender Danny Mills has delivered his assessment of Newcastle United’s January transfer business, and what it could mean for the Toon Army’s survival prospects.

Eddie Howe’s men were busy last month, bringing in a number of players in an effort to strengthen key areas of the pitch ahead of a looming relegation battle.

Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Bruno Guimarães, and Dan Burn all signed on permanent deals, while Aston Villa full-back Matt Targett joined on loan.

But while Mills suggested that the Magpies now have a “fighting chance” of avoiding the drop, he also argued that certain players - including Burn - may have been recruited with one eye on a possible drop down to the Championship.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “They [Newcastle] are having a go, that’s all I can say.

“They had a couple of signings in against Cambridge [in the 1-0 FA Cup defeat] and that didn’t work out well.

“You still have to get these players fit, they still have to gel together. Confidence throughout the club and the players will still be low.

“They’ve given themselves a fighting chance to try and dig themselves out of the hole they are in. They are effectively trying to buy their way out of it, simple as that.

“They still sit in the bottom three so it’s not going to be easy to fight their way out of it.

“The game against Everton is going to be absolutely crucial. If they lose that, that’s Everton with two games in hand and seven points clear.

“Suddenly, it will be really difficult to start catching teams.

“They have gone with relatively short-term buys. Guimarães, I’m not sure about, I’ve not seen enough of him to decide whether he’s going to make an impact. He won’t want to play in the Championship.

“Trippier was the first one, a stellar signing to try and attract other players.

“Dan Burn is for the now and if the worst happened, he could do a fantastic job in the Championship.

“There has to be a little bit of that thinking about it.”