Newcastle United were one of the main talking points for journalist Dean Jones when discussing the upcoming January transfer window on the latest episode of Touchline Talk.
The new owners on Tyneside will have their first opportunity to open their chequebooks in January to make some changes to the squad they have inherited from Mike Ashley.
Do you expect big changes in January?
Yes
No
And it seems Jones believes centre-backs are the main focal point for the Toon going into January with their current defence not exactly providing much optimism in their fight for survival.
There has been a slight improvement at the back for the Magpies under Howe with the club recording their first clean sheet of the season last weekend in the victory over Burnley.
However, with the Toon having still conceded six goals in Howe’s opening four games, Jones had the following to say on the noise coming out of St. James’ Park ahead of January:
“Most of the rumours coming out of Newcastle right now centre around centre-backs, defensive-minded players. Sven Botman’s another one that’s been thrown in, in the past week on top of the names that you’ve just listed. I mean, he’s with Lille, he’s gonna cost a lot of money.”
TIF Thoughts on January for Newcastle…
Newcastle recently picked up their first win of the campaign, however, they could well find themselves in a very tricky position come the end of December and going into the transfer window.
Before the end of the month, Howe’s side will have to face Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United – four sides which are all playing on the European stage.
All four of these sides are in the top six for goals scored in the Premier League this season and with this in mind, their upcoming games could well put more of an emphasis on their desire to improve their options in defence.
In other news: ‘I would expect him to’ – Journalist urges Eddie Howe to unleash £9m-rated NUFC ace