Craig Hope has insisted that the noises coming out of Newcastle United suggest PIF do not want to spend a lot of money in the January transfer window.
Newcastle fans will be delighted with where the club is and how far they’ve come under the ownership of PIF, as they’ve gone from relegation candidates to sitting third in the Premier League.
While that is caveated by the £220m-plus that has been splashed on new signings in 2022, many will want more to be spent in January to help further strengthen their push for the top four – but it seems PIF may well have other ideas.
Hope has claimed on the Off The Ball podcast that PIF aren’t necessarily actively looking to splash a lot of money come the new year despite their strong league position.
He said: “Of course, they’ve got one eye on January, and it’s going to be really interesting going into January, because all of the noises coming out of the club at the moment are that they probably won’t spend big. They’re happy with what they’ve got and they are restricted by FFP.”
Do Newcastle need more signings in January?
Yes!
No!
TIF Thoughts on Newcastle’s January transfer plans…
This may well be a big blow for Newcastle fans to find out their owners aren’t looking to spend big in January as they did last year, with five new players joining to help them fight against the threat of relegation.
However, the message about not spending and having a restricted budget has been the message throughout from PIF, with reports claiming they had a £60m budget over the summer, only for the club to spend more than that on one player in the form of Alexander Isak.
So this could well be yet another smart tactic from PIF to ensure other clubs don’t hike up their prices for the Magpies, knowing they are willing to spend money, or they may genuinely be happy with their current squad and only wish to add depth this winter.