Experience key if Toon to survive

EDDIE Howe has stressed that relegation-threatened Newcastle United need experienced Premier League footballers like Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier because they are ‘ready to play’.

England international Trippier spent five years playing in the Premier League for Tottenham and Burnley before joining his now former club Atletico Madrid.

Wood, meanwhile, is one of a handful of strikers who have scored at least 10 goals in the English top flight in each of his last four seasons.

Although the club’s owners, recruitment team and coaching staff have worked ‘collaboratively’ this month, Howe’s influence has certainly been felt.

“They are two players I wanted to sign – no doubt about that,” he said. “They make the squad better and have the right characteristics in terms of playing and attitude and they are ready to play. That is a crucial thing for us in our current position.

“There is nothing wrong with signing younger players for the future – I have done that historically for most of my management career – but there is a time and a place for those types of signings.

“With the current needs of my squad, the two guys we’ve signed were the right ones.”

That is not to say Newcastle won’t buy players from abroad this month and the Magpies have already attempted to sign defender Sven Botman from Lille.

Securing at least one quality centre-back before the window shuts is one of Howe’s priorities and Newcastle are not giving up on signing Sevilla’s Diego Carlos.

However, just as Lille were reluctant to sell Botman, titlechasing Sevilla are also in no rush to let Carlos go.

Howe said: “It’s very complex because you have to agree deals with clubs that do not want to sell in January. That’s well-known in world football; people are very reluctant to lose assets at this time of year and the players have got to want to join your battle and your fight to stay in the league. If they’re at the top of their profession, it’s not an easy sell.

“Newcastle has a huge pull in many different ways, but I believe that our league position is not one of them so it is a very delicate mix.

“Also, the most important thing for me is bringing the right characters into the group. They have got to want to play and fight for Newcastle United now and in the future. Put all that into the mix and it is quite a difficult situation.”