How the reality of the January window compares to the summer and how Newcastle United can best navigate it
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Take your minds back four months ago and Newcastle had a deadline day to forget.
Only Joe Willock, who spent the second half of last season on loan at St James’s Park, had joined the club.
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Hide AdReports that Steve Bruce was left to find loan deals himself, only to have a deal for Hamza Choudhury fail to be secured, led to the club to release a statement defending their business during the window.
This statement blamed the effects of Covid-19 for having a ‘considerable impact on the club’s finances’, meaning that despite the clear need to strengthen in the window, Willock was the only addition.
Fast forward to the present and Newcastle are still in desperate need for additions - but things look a lot rosier.
The takeover of the club means supporters can look to the future with expectation of doing business, rather than just hope.
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Hide AdNew owners bring with them the promise of investment - and investment is certainly needed at St James’s Park.
In all areas of the squad, additions are required to freshen up the side and this is something Eddie Howe is preparing for.
Speaking last week, Howe said: “We’ll obviously have players we’re looking at, and have identified, between myself, the coaching team and the recruitment team.
"We have a big body of people working on behalf of the football club to try and find a way to strengthen the squad. The work’s been going on through December.”
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Hide AdHowever, Howe did add a caveat to this message, insisting that doing business in January can be difficult: "We’re under no illusions, and are making no promises about what we can or can’t do, but the work is going on behind the scenes to make that happen.”
So what business can Newcastle realistically do in January? And how does reality of the upcoming window match with the fantasies that supporters have had planned since the takeover was complete?
Well, Newcastle will certainly be making moves in January, that much is pretty certain.
The squad needs freshening up and Premier League proven players will likely be targeted.
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Hide AdWhilst this approach seems sensible, it may prove to be difficult to put into practice as teams will likely not want to sell to the Magpies - particularly those that still harbour relegation worries.
This may mean Newcastle take the route of trying to attract players on the sidelines of ‘big’ teams by offering them first-team football, however, without a clear wage structure in place, this could bring some adverse effects to their current crop of players.
Furthermore, because of the perilous situation they currently find themselves in, they may struggle to attract players to join them in their battle to beat the drop.
These factors leave just a small pool of players to select from. They need to be quality additions to improve the squad, be willing to fight and scrap in the battle against relegation and have the right mentality to dig deep when the going is tough.
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Hide AdThe reality of a January window, and where they find themselves in the table, means it will be a difficult window to navigate - but one that could prove to be transformative.