I am from Mauritius and have been a Newcastle United supporter for about thirty years. I would appreciate it if you could publish my very first article on The Mag.
January transfer window: who should we sign?
The January transfer market is usually described as a nightmare for managers.
Some hate it for the ability to see that some players have their heads elsewhere in the middle of the season.
Agents who are active in finding new clubs for their frustrated customers and even for those who are not, if a good offer comes along…
Newcastle United is not new and we have made many transfers in this period, especially under Mike Ashley.
Ideally, Eddie Howe would prefer not to try to make any major signings in January. However, the recent string of injuries affecting the team and especially our defense means a potential need for one or more new faces.
As always, the media are keen to name a host of claimed transfer targets, with agents happy to help fuel this speculation.
However, what is the reality for Newcastle United, which position(s) need to be strengthened and which individuals may we need to take into account?
My thoughts are that what is most pressing is the need for a new centre-back, plus cover for injury-prone Tino Livramento and/or Lewis Hall, plus another striker.
Central defender
A young candidate could be Charlie Cresswell, who is in Toulouse. The 23-year-old Englishman was previously at Leeds and has made 18 appearances this season, scoring three goals. He is a starting first choice for the French club and a regular threat from set pieces. The man is doing well and will play a bit at the back, learning from the more experienced Schar and Burn, until they leave. It won’t cost as much as many other defenders have done in recent times when Premier League clubs have been recruiting.
At Atalanta, Giorgio Scalvini is another player who could be considered now, or most likely in the summer. The 22-year-old Italian looks neat, is very composed and reads the game very well. Although he has not played much this season, eight games, due to injury, he has solid experience and some Champions League appearances.
Jamaal Lascelles looks set to leave and will be followed by Schar and Burn at some point, so we need to refresh our defensive department and get one or two good prospects, ideally giving one or more of them time to adapt over the next six months.
Full back cover
Zinchenko can play on either side and could be a good back-up for them, although the Ukrainian is normally a left-back.
We don’t have a good left back cover for Lewis Hall, unlike Tino with Trippier and now Miley.
Zinchenko is a proven experienced PL player (Man City, Arsenal, Forest) who is well regarded and Forest are now looking to terminate his loan.
He is experienced, is often used as cover, is 29 years old and knows where he is now, could join our clubs and will not hold back the development of Hall, who is perhaps playing his best football at the moment. I think we can give him a loan if Forest are going to cancel his current loan. Could be the next Kieran Trippier for us.
Another striker
With two strikers currently struggling to score goals regularly and rough diamond Osula on the sidelines, we are thin up front. Especially if Nick or Wissa got injured.
Gordon or Barnes can be played as a striker, but we all know that’s not their best position. Another frontman could prove more than essential with the tough match schedule every weekend and during the week.
Jorgen Strand Larsen would cost quite a bit, as is the case with most players from other Premier League clubs, but the Wolves forward brings more physicality than Nick Woltemade, although he has much the same style.
Ideally, we need someone who offers something different to what Newcastle United currently have to deal with it tactically.
American Folarin Balogun, 24, eight goals this season from Monaco, previously played for Arsenal, is a striker with pace, can play alone as a number 9, holds the ball well and could be interested in coming in if a good offer comes to the table. He looks like Alexander Isak in the way he plays.
We have to admit that Isak was crucial for our system and it would be good for us to have a player in our team who can cause the same. We offer a little more than Monaco, firstly in terms of atmosphere, but also because we are actually in a better place in the Champions League than them. An aspect that many players will actually look at, especially those quality players hoping to make it to the upcoming World Cup.
There is also the Argentinian Joaquin Panichelli in Strasbourg. He is 23 and has already scored twelve goals this season, his first season in the French league after joining from second division Spanish club Alaves. He is physical, technically good, passionate and never gives up. He can score with crosses in the air and is always looking for shots. Recently called up to the Argentina national team, which shows his quality and knowledge of the competition. Bringing him to Tyneside could prove to be a tricky affair as Strasbourg will not let him go easily following the recent signing of captain and forward Emanuel Emegha for Chelsea next season. Perhaps able to follow the likes of Coloccini and Gutierrez, and to a lesser extent Federico Fernandez, as Argentine successes at Newcastle United.
The media speculation will continue and no doubt many more names will be added as supposed targets for Newcastle United.
The next match on Sunday at Molineux could be an indication of how urgent it is to sign one or two new players, without additional injuries to our medical department.
This is also the perfect time to see what Ross Wilson can do too.
Giovanny Cotte – A Mauritian fan who has supported the show for 30 years.
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