Newcastle United great Chris Waddle has claimed the club can finish well up the table if they sign two attacking players in the January transfer window.
Rafael Benitez’s side suffered a dreadful start to the season before bouncing back over the past month, however Waddle feels there is still work to be done once the New Year rolls around.
“I think he needs two attacking players in January – a goalscorer and a creative player too, someone who can beat someone and see something in the final third,” he told BBC Sport. “If Newcastle can add those two players to what they have already got, I think they will finish well up the league.
“It would not matter if they are loan deals until the end of the season like [Salomon] Rondon, but they have to be a priority for whoever is running the club. Without those additions then, for all their organisation, shape and effort, it is going to be a long and hard season if they do not have the ability to create good chances and put the ball in the net,” he finished.
OPINION
Waddle is absolutely spot on, here. Newcastle have looked pretty solid defensively throughout the season. Even when they were losing games at the start of the campaign they weren’t leaking goals. It’s been up the other end where they have had trouble this term. Creativity is scarce in this Magpies team and that’s clearly something Waddle has identified as well. Rondon does good work up front in holding the ball up and making life difficult for the opposition defenders, but he can’t do everything on his own and he generally doesn’t get enough help from the players around him. Ayoze Perez scored against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday but aside from that moment of inspiration the Spaniard did precious little. Newcastle need other players to come in and support Rondon, and create chances for the big Venezuelan. Like Waddle says, if they don’t get that it’s going to be a really tough season.