OPINION
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has already begun his search for potential January signings, with the Magpies looking to recover from a lacklustre summer and disastrous start to the season.
New signings in mid-season will likely be key for Benitez if he wants to guide Newcastle to a respectable finish this term, just as bringing in players like Kenedy last season was so important.
However, any signings that Benitez does make in January must be spot on for them to make enough impact on the season, and if the latest report is to be believed then he is unfortunately on the wrong track.
According to the Express, Benitez has identified Bologna centre-back Filip Helander as a player who will be at the top of his list if handed enough funds by owner Mike Ashley.
The 25-year-old Sweden international has been in impressive form in Serie A, and Benitez has been given good scouting reports on the enforcer so far this term.
There is no doubt that Helander would be a good player for the club to bring in, with his experience and form a definite asset for the Magpies defence.
That being said, the club are not in need of a new centre-back at all.
Benitez already has Jamaal Lascelles, Ciaran Clark, Federico Fernandez, Fabian Schar and Florian Lejeune to call upon, and there is clearly not a gap in the squad in the middle of defence.
There are however huge holes in other areas of the squad, and Benitez must instead focus on filling those in January.
Most of their issues at the moment are coming in attack, with the Magpies having scored just four times in their first seven games, and a new striker must be a priority.
A swoop for Helander would strengthen the squad but weaken the coffers and not go any way towards fixing some of their quite obvious problems going forward.
It must therefore be binned as soon as possible, with efforts made instead to fix up those areas that need some reinforcement in January.