Newcastle United will have a quiet January window believes Tam McManus.
According to McManus, Newcastle won’t spend £150m-£200m on new signings and won’t bring in a £50m star but instead focus on young signings as there isn’t the same panic around the club as last year.
Last January the Magpies spend £91.9m on five incomings with Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood the most expensive of the bunch as the Toon found themselves in relegation bother following a poor start to the 2021/22 campaign.
Fast forward 12 months and Newcastle are in a polar opposite position as they chase Champions League football at the first time of asking under their new Saudi Arabian owners, with Eddie Howe leading them to third in the table.
This turnaround and a subsequent more relaxed feeling around the club will see the Magpies avoid spending rashly in the January window McManus told Football Insider.
“The fans won’t want to hear this but I don’t think that means anything,”
“They will have plans for January and while I’m sure there will be money to spend, I don’t think we will see a £150million, £200million spend.
“Newcastle only did that last January because they absolutely had to. This year, they are in a much better position.”
“I’m sure Newcastle could attract some very good players but January is always a hard month to do business in.
“Maybe one or two deals get done, players for the future. But I don’t see a big £50m player coming in. Financial fair play has to play a role at some point,” McManus said.
TIF Thoughts on McManus’ comments…
January is always a tough time to do business, with teams unwilling to sell their star players or demand extortionate prices, which Newcastle would likely fall victim with their financial resources and league position profoundly known.
Newcastle’s winter signing of last summer Guimaraes is 13th on the all-time January transfers involving Premier League clubs, with him one place higher than Andy Carroll who they sold in 2010/11, showing just how sparse good or value-for-money signings have previously been in the January window.
Along with Howe’s side not majorly in need of fresh arrivals and no clear transfer targets laid out, a quiet window where they don’t take unnecessary risks and break the successful strategy they’ve put in place so far would be a sensible option.