Transfer reporter Pete O’Rourke has been speaking on the latest edition of Touchline Talk about Newcastle United’s transfer plans ahead of the January window.
Newcastle are preparing for their first transfer window with the new Saudi Arabian-based owners at the helm.
Is this a good idea to just bring in loan signings?
Yes
No
The Magpies find themselves in a difficult league position where the upcoming January window may be viewed as their opportunity to save the club from the prospect of relegation.
It is believed the Toon have the ability to spend up to £190m over the coming transfer windows without being affected by FFP as a result of the lack of spending throughout Mike Ashley’s time at the club.
There have been reports hinting as to how much the new owners would be willing to spend in the January window, however, O’Rourke provided a potentially worrying update ahead of the window.
He said: “From what I’m hearing, Newcastle will be only looking at loan signings in the window. I’m not expecting any big-money signings – obviously, they’ve been linked with a lot of big names since the takeover, the likes of [Philippe] Coutinho, [Adrien] Rabiot, all sorts of players have been linked. That’s not going to happen in this window.
“They’re going to have to do this stage by stage and try and make the right signings in January just to ensure they stay in the Premier League.”
TIF Thoughts on Newcastle’s January options…
O’Rourke’s claim adds fuel to claims that have recently been made about Newcastle’s potential activity next winter – so this appears to be a clear indication of what strategy PIF is heading towards.
We actually think this would be a better option for the Toon given the form they are in and their position in the Premier League table.
The amount of financial backing behind the Toon’s takeover has been widely reported, so we think it is plausible to imagine players looking at Newcastle as a possible destination for a big payday.
However, if they were to only bring in loan signings, then it would likely be players who are looking for game time at a new club and aiming to put themselves in good stead for a permanent move in the summer, or to show their parent club what they can do.
And we think this is exactly the type of player the Toon need if they are to successfully fight against relegation.
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