Big week ahead as Howe sets sights on quality additions
VITAL SPELL OFF THE FIELD BEFORE WINDOW CLOSES
IT WAS a gutsy win, a timely reminder this current group of players will have a huge say on Newcastle United’s fate this season - but the Magpies still need help.
Although Newcastle, remarkably, are only a point off safety following Saturday’s 1-0 victory at Leeds, Eddie Howe’s side will require quality reinforcements to get the job done.
That is what makes these next six days so important before the window closes on January 31.
Howe has already identified targets, sifted through a list of names and analysed the data provided by the club’s recruitment team, who are acutely aware of the need to sign technical players who fit the Newcastle boss’ ideal style of play.
Naturally, it has not been possible for Howe to physically watch every player put to him but he has made sure he knows everything about each target - including their strengths, weaknesses and, most importantly, their backgrounds.
Bringing in the right sort of characters is paramount for Howe, who is conscious of not disrupting the dressing room.
The head coach wants positive personalities and leaders with a winning mentality.
That iswhy is why Howe reaches out to his contacts in advance to find out more about players’ living situations, their interests outside the game and their internal motivations.
If targets pass this this effective test it then falls to those above Howe to try to make these deals happen in a notoriously difficult window, which, ironically, has been further complicated by Newcastle’s newfound wealth after the Magpies were quoted extortionate asking prices.
The reality is Newcastle have already made their most straightforward signings of the window in defender Kieran Trippier and striker Chris Wood.
Trippier was desperate to return to the north of England and Atletico Madrid were willing to respect the defender’s wishes, while Newcastle triggered the £25m release clause in Wood’s contract at Burnley.
Securing a quality centre-back – Newcastle’s priority position at the start of the window – has proved much more difficult and doing so, or not, could be the difference between the Magpies staying up or going down.
Howe will not be thinking like that, though, and the Newcastle head coach’s immediate focus will be on getting more out of his current group of players during a warm-weather training camp in Jeddah this week.
Howe previously took his Bournemouth players go-karting, orienteering and paintballing, while he even arranged a sheepherding session when he was in charge of Burnley.
However, Howe has been unable to set up these kind of team-bonding exercises at Newcastle because of the protocols surrounding
Covid. That is why this camp could yet be important as players and staff spend an extended period of time around one another for the first time since Howe was appointed in November.
It is not a surprise, therefore, that injured players like Callum Wilson and Federico Fernandez have also travelled.
There is already a strong team spirit at Newcastle – that togetherness was key to the win at Leeds on Saturday – but this is an opportunity for new signings such as Trippier and Wood to get to know their team-mates better. Even a staff member like Mark Leyland, the coach-analyst who only joined the club last month, will benefit.
It also gives Howe a chance to effectively oversee a mini pre-season if you like, which will culminate in a friendly against Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Ittihad on Friday.
Howe has always stressed that he makes assessments on individual players based on what he sees in training and this camp may yet be a final chance for some to impress.
Some of these players may not play again for Newcastle this season - some may not even play for the club again full stop.
Howe, after all, has to make room in his 25-man squad for new arrivals when the transfer window closes next Monday. Two players will already have to drop out to accommodate Trippier and Wood and they will not be the only ones if Newcastle, as expected, make further signings within the next week.
Howe confirmed on Friday he had yet to receive any offers for his players so the nightmare scenario of footballers staying on as effectively non-playing members of staff cannot yet be ruled out.
Some players, after all, are settled in the area with their young families and have no desire to leave after signing long-term contracts under the previous regime but there are others who are keen to go out and play.
Just as clubs will be more willing to loan players to Newcastle in the final throes of the window, the same applies to the Magpies, who were previously reluctant to sanction temporary moves after a Covid outbreak stretched the squad.
It could be a busy week in so many ways.