Newcastle United look like a team that could have done with some help in the transfer window; a squad in desperate need of refreshing. Manager Eddie Howe had warned of the risk of things going stale when you do not recruit and this was a stagnant, stodgy performance against Fulham.

These are the dangers of not just sticking with the same squad for three successive windows, but weakening it. Winger Miguel Almirón left the club this week, returning to Atlanta United and Newcastle will not be replacing him.

As well as letting Almirón go, Newcastle are also close to a deal that will see centre-back Lloyd Kelly leave for Juventus. The former Bournemouth defender, who has struggled to break into the side since his free transfer in the summer, is expected to initially move on loan to Italy with an obligation for the switch to become permanent for a fee of £15 million at the end of the season.

Newcastle, though, are still unlikely to sign anyone this month which will further weaken the squad.

Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh were sold in the summer and not replaced either. The Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules have trapped Newcastle. It has forced them to stick rather than twist.

They are not alone there of course, but we have been warning of the damage that can be done when players get too comfortable and the same starting XI is sent out week after week.

The timing of this defeat is a huge concern. Newcastle return to St James’ Park for their biggest match of the season so far on Wednesday night when they take on Arsenal in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. They lead 2-0 after the first leg but if they play as badly as this, Arsenal will have an excellent chance of reaching Wembley. A season full of promise can quickly start to unravel.

You need competition for places to keep even the best players on their toes, but Newcastle do not have that at the moment. The front three of Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy – who put Newcastle in front in the first half – and Alexander Isak are going to play every week.

The same is true of the midfield trio of Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton. Whether you use the word stale or complacent, the warning signs are there. The good news is they are unlikely to be this sluggish and sloppy again in a game of the magnitude of Wednesday night.

“Individually we were nowhere near our best levels today,” said Howe. “Collectively the same. The general level of performance leaves me frustrated because there is so much more.

“I don’t know if I can use that [the lack of recruitment] as an excuse to be honest. No, we don’t have many attacking options [on the bench] which is difficult when you are chasing a game but we weren’t good at protecting the lead we had either.

“This was a great opportunity to maintain our good feeling and momentum, but we were not anywhere near our best and probably deserved to lose the game.”

Howe did not want to look for an excuse, which is fine, but when he looked at his bench to try and find a second goal against Fulham, the cupboard was worryingly bare.

With Harvey Barnes and Callum Wilson injured, the only attacking player among the substitutes was William Osula, a £12 million signing from Sheffield United in the summer who is clearly not trusted to play at this level yet.

The only offensive player who might change the course of a game is Joe Willock, but he was dreadful when he came on, an air kick at the near post when the score was 1-1 summing up another lacklustre offering from the former Arsenal player. Willock’s loss of form is one of those talking points that can be ignored when the team is winning but when they lose, it comes into much sharper focus.

Howe had spent five minutes talking to his assistant manager Jason Tindall and coach Graeme Jones at the start of the second half.

He could see the game was turning in Fulham’s favour but no change came. Even with Joelinton visibly struggling with a knee injury, Howe did not take him off until after Raúl Jiménez had deservedly equalised for the visitors. If anything he froze; lacking the confidence to turn to his substitutes. Willock showed us why.

Yes, Newcastle played well after Fulham’s first goal. Isak hit the bar after Willock’s air kick. The home side were the better team again, but they switched off defensively late on and allowed substitute Rodrigo Muniz a free run to the near post to flick in Andreas Pereira’s free-kick from close range. It looked like Isak was to blame.

This was no smash and grab by Fulham. They were excellent, causing Newcastle problems throughout. They deserved to win just as Bournemouth had done two weeks earlier. This is not the time for Newcastle to become vulnerable at home but that is what they look at the moment.