The Athletic’s George Caulkin has claimed that there is now an exciting feeling within Newcastle United given their current league position – and hinted at possible January signings.
Newcastle currently find themselves in the lofty heights of the top four and pushing for a Champions League spot – something that would have been beyond their wildest dreams this time last season when they hadn’t won a game.
If the Magpies find themselves in the thick of a battle for European football when the January transfer window rolls around, Caulkin believes that PIF will indeed look to bolster the first-team squad once again.
Caulkin claimed on Pod on the Tyne that there’s now a great feeling within Newcastle amid hopes of getting back into Europe.
He said: “The exciting thing is if, by the time we get to January, Newcastle are still in an elevated position and there’s still a feeling that they can finish in a European spot, yes, I would expect them to take that [chance to spend].
“I mean, ideally, they won’t be spending a huge amount of money in January, but they’ll take the opportunity.
“There’s this kind of dual feeling within the club. One is that they don’t want to oversell, and that’s difficult when you’ve said that you’re going to be trying to win things within 5-10 years, but they want to understand the process.
“However, there’s also a ferocity of ambition, and if they can do it, they want to do it.”
Will Newcastle secure European football?
Yes!
No!
TIF Thoughts on Newcastle’s aims this season…
It will be encouraging for Newcastle fans to know that if they find themselves in a healthy position come the turn of the year, their owners will not just be looking to rest on their laurels, but be looking to improve and take that next step forward.
When Newcastle last managed to qualify for Europe in 2012, former owner Mike Ashley only sanctioned one first-team signing for Alan Pardew that summer in Vurnon Anita, which led to the club struggling domestically and becoming engulfed in a relegation battle due to their squad being too small.
However, that certainly won’t be the case this time around given PIF’s wealth and reported willingness to improve the squad as long as results and performances on the pitch correlate to success, which they certainly are at the moment.