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Potential Newcastle United Signings in January

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1 month ago

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Kieran Trippier

Who should Newcastle United sign in the January transfer window?

After what has been a terrible start to the Premier League season, it looks certain that there will be some Newcastle United signings through the door in January. The Magpies currently sit 19th in the table with just 10 points to their name. They are currently three points from safety but are starting to look an improved side under Eddie Howe. They recently picked up their first and only win of the season against Burnley. However, it is clear improvement is needed if they are to avoid relegation.

They will particularly be looking to improve their defence as at the time of writing they’ve shipped in 34 goals. That is the worst defence in the league. With Newcastle now being the richest club in the world, they are expected to spend big in the transfer window. However, this may not be a smart play, as this could lead to expensive panic buys. In this article, we take a look at eight potential Newcastle United signings, with a mixture of ambitious and realistic options, that could be made next month that could help keep them in the Premier League.

 

Kieran Trippier

Kieran Trippier is a 31-year-old right-back, playing for Atletico Madrid. Howe is said to be a massive fan of Trippier and wants to bring him back to the Premier League. He has bags of experience, having accumulated over 100 Premier League appearances with Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur. He is still a key figure in Gareth Southgate’s England squads as well. This would be an expensive deal to pull off as Atletico are keen to keep hold of him.

Another potential issue is that he is currently out until the new year with a shoulder problem. This may limit his fitness, causing a problem for Newcastle as they need an instant impact. A fully fit Trippier would strengthen their defence as well as offer them an extra attacking threat. However, it would cost them a large amount for a position that is not really a priority. Therefore, it is probably an unlikely deal for January. Perhaps it would work better in the summer if they stay up.

 

Jesse Lingard

Jesse Lingard is a 28-year-old attacking midfielder who plays for Manchester United. Lingard is believed to be at the top of the list of Newcastle United signings. He had a sensational loan spell at West Ham United last season which revived his career after a tough few years. His contract expires in the summer and it doesn’t look likely that he will sign a new deal. United will want to avoid losing him on a free so may be willing to sell to Newcastle.

He was heavily linked with a move in the summer but elected to stay to fight for his place. However, he has only featured in eight Premier League games most of which have been off the bench. Lingard would be a brilliant signing for Newcastle as he would add another element of attacking threat to lower their reliance on Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin.  It is reported the Magpies will offer Lingard £200,000 a week to get him to agree a deal. This would be risky to offer him so much money when they could be in the Championship next year. However, getting Lingard would be a huge boost for their survival chances.

 

Mohamed Elneny

Mohamed Elneny is a 29-year-old defensive midfielder who plays for Arsenal. Defensive midfield is definitely an area where Newcastle need to improve if they are to stay up this season. Elneny offers years of Premier League experience, and with his contract up in the summer, Arsenal will be willing to sell for a fair price. The Egyptian is struggling for game time this season featuring in just 5 Premier League games.

Elneny would likely drop into the role that Jefferson Lerma played in Howe’s system at Bournemouth. Elneny is also a previous teammate of Joe Willock, which could help them to develop a partnership in the middle of the park. His defensive positioning would also allow Willock to progress further up the pitch to try and recreate his goal-scoring form from last season. Elneny would be a smart buy as it adds experience into a position that Newcastle need and it wouldn’t cost them a huge amount.

 

James Tarkowski

James Tarkowski is a 29-year-old right-footed centre-back who plays for Burnley. Tarkowski has been heavily linked with the Toon ever since their takeover was announced.  He has 172 Premier League appearances and scores a fair amount of goals for a defender. His contract at Burnley expires in the summer so the Clarets will be keen to cash in while they can. A bid of around £10-15m should be enough to get a deal over the line.

He has years of experience playing down the bottom of the Premier League so is a great option for their current situation. He was also a key player in Burnley’s 7th place finish in 2017/18 so he could be a player to help them progress in future seasons. Tarkowski would be a very smart pull for Newcastle. It would strengthen their defence as well as weaken the defence of one of their rivals. This could be key if they are to stay up this season.

 

Joe Rodon

Joe Rodon is a 24-year-old right-footed centre-back who plays for Tottenham Hotspur. Rodon joined Spurs for £10m last year but has struggled for game time. He has only started eight Premier League games since he signed for the club. Rodon is a very talented defender and impressed during his time at Swansea. He will be desperate for game time so a loan deal until the end of the season would make sense. A permanent deal would also be a solid option.

He already has 22 caps for Wales so he is an experienced defender. If they do get relegated then Rodon would be a brilliant addition to help them bounce back at the first attempt. Rodon would not be the first choice centre-back option for Newcastle in January but he is a very good backup choice. Despite his struggles at Spurs, he would still be a good addition to their squad, and it would make sense to bring him in on loan before spending big in the summer.

 

Lloyd Kelly

Lloyd Kelly is a 23-year-old left-footed centre-back who plays for Bournemouth. Kelly is a player Howe knows very well as he signed him from Bristol City for £13m in 2019 during his time at Bournemouth. Howe is believed to have listed Kelly as his top target for the centre of defence in a recent meeting. Kelly is a player Howe is a massive fan of as during the 2019/20 season, despite constant injury issues, he started eight out of nine games when he was fit. It would cost them around £15-20m to secure his services.

Bournemouth have one of the best defensive records in the Championship, conceding just 19 goals in 22 games. Kelly has featured in 18 of these games and has been a key figure for the Cherries this season. Kelly certainly seems a likely addition for the Toon in January given Howe’s admiration for him is. It would be a good signing for Newcastle as he would help to sure up their leaky defence. However, he has been unfortunate with injuries so there is no guarantee he can stay fit for the rest of the season.

 

Matthias Ginter

Matthias Ginter is a 27-year-old right footed centre-back who plays for Borussia Monchengladbach. Despite his age, he is a vastly experienced defender with 275 Bundesliga appearances and 46 international caps. He has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the Bundesliga, and is entering the last few months of his deal. Monchengladbach may be tempted to sell if a good enough bid comes in to avoid losing him on a free in the summer.

Ginter also has Champions League experience to his name so would be great pull. It is an unlikely deal though as he is heavily expected to stay in Germany if he does leave Monchengladbach. It would be a risk for the Magpies as it would require a sizeable bid, although he is a significant improvement on their current defenders. However, recently we have seen players come over from the Bundesliga and take a while to adapt which would be disastrous for Newcastle as they only have a few months to save their season.

 

Sven Botman

Sven Botman is a 21-year-old left footed centre-back who plays for LOSC Lille. Botman is a very talented young player that was a key part of Lille’s Ligue 1 title win last season. He is one of the most highly-rated centre-backs in Europe so Lille will be desperate to keep hold of him. However, they are struggling financially at the moment so a bid of £40m+ might tempt them into selling. He has also featured in the Champions League this season so has experience at the highest level.

It would be a very ambitious signing for Newcastle and there’s no guarantee he would sign for them in the current situation, but if they could pull it off it would be huge. Botman would help them massively at the back and would be a key figure in the project they are building for the coming seasons. Spending a huge amount of money on Botman would be a huge risk, as they are still on the brink of relegation, but securing a player of his ability would be a big step forward.

 

The verdict

Newcastle will need to sort out their defence if they want to stay up this season. There are a variety of options but I think the key to their transfer dealings in January should be buying smart not big. There are too many cases in recent history where teams have spent big to avoid relegation and it has backfired massively. Newcastle are in big danger of following this trend as their owners have massive pockets. The sensible thing to do in their situation is to prioritise Premier League experience over potential.

For this reason, I believe Tarkowski, Kelly, Elneny and Lingard should be the Newcastle United signings for the January window. These four players would bolster the Newcastle squad and increase their chances of survival. If they do stay in the Premier League, then the summer window is the time to spend big and build the project for future seasons. This is when I would invest in players like Botman or Ginter. In the short term, they need players that they know can do it in the Premier League, as relegation would delay their project by a couple of seasons.

 

We hope you enjoyed the article ‘Potential Newcastle United signings in January’. Who do you think Newcastle should sign in January? Let us know!

 

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Rob is currently doing a bachelor's degree in sports journalism at Staffordshire University. He is diehard football fan and supports Liverpool. He aspires to be a leading sports journalist/broadcaster in the future.

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