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Newcastle rocked by Joelinton blow and Kalvin Phillips move off as it stands

Joelinton playing for Newcastle against Sunderland in the FA Cup where he sustained his injury
Newcastle have another long-term injury to contend with after Joelinton was ruled out for the season - Reuters/Lee Smith

Newcastle United have been rocked by news Joelinton is expected to miss the rest of the season.

The Brazil international has been told he requires an operation to fix a tendon problem in his groin, picked up during the FA Cup win over Sunderland at the start of the month.

It was initially believed Joelinton would be missing for six weeks but he has now been told he will require surgery which will require at least four months of rehabilitation.

Newcastle are set to receive a second opinion from specialists before deciding whether to go ahead with operation, but there is a growing belief within the club that it is inevitable.

The loss of 27-year-old for the rest of the campaign is a huge blow to manager Eddie Howe, whose hopes of replicating last season’s top four finish have been ruined by injuries.

Even so, as things stand, the deal that is on offer from Manchester City to sign Kalvin Phillips on loan for the rest of the season is off as it is not a good one for Newcastle United.

That is the view within St James’ Park. After weeks of conversations, the Newcastle hierarchy do not think signing Phillips makes financial sense. Not on the terms currently available to them. The loan fee is too high and talk of there being an obligation to buy in the summer does not sit well with them either.

That does not mean the deal is dead or talks cannot resume, but it needs to be revived and City have not budged yet.

There is some hope that will change the closer we get to deadline day, but it is impossible to say with any degree of confidence that Phillips will be a Newcastle player before the close of the window.

Newcastle had initially been encouraged to believe that a deal with City for Phillips would be a simple one to thrash out this month. The England international had openly discussed his desire to leave during the international break in November as he is not getting enough game time under Pep Guardiola.

In turn, the City manager had admitted that he could not find a place for the 28-year-old in his first team plans. The perception was that City would help Phillips find a suitable club to ensure he was playing more regularly and Phillips was keen on the idea of making the move to Newcastle.

Kalvin Phillips on the bench
Despite Phillips playing barely any club football for seven months, Man City still want a huge loan fee for the England midfielder - Lee Smith/Reuters

Crucially, though, Phillips has not agitated to leave and City have been able to stick to their demands to release him on loan, with a fee of £7 million being quoted.

That is a huge sum of money to sign a player for just five months and Newcastle, constrained by Profit and Sustainability rules, will not pay such a high sum for a loan player.

They also do not want to commit £40 million of their summer budget if there is an obligation to buy, especially as they are already going to have to pay £28 million to Chelsea to turn Lewis Hall’s loan deal into a long-term one in June.

It has created the conditions for a deadlock and Newcastle are frustrated by the lack of flexibility in City’s stance.

In turn, City are confident they can find another club willing to pay the money – although it has already scared off Italian giants Juventus – they want this month.

Newcastle will return for Phillips if there is a change in the situation and remain “active in the market” if the right player becomes available, but sources have painted a gloomy picture of their recruitment plans.

Meanwhile, Newcastle midfielder Issac Hayden is in talks to join Championship side Preston North End after cutting short a loan move to Standard Liege in Belgium.

Not signing anyone is risky, but Newcastle refuse to be gouged

Newcastle United are in danger of letting this season fizzle out in disappointment and frustration as they remain reluctant to make any new signings this month.

Kalvin Phillips was supposed to be a simple deal for Newcastle to tie up and the England international was expected to make the move from Manchester City early in the window.

With supporters clamouring for new signings to improve a squad that has been hobbled by long-term injuries for months, January was supposed to be the moment reinforcements would arrive.

The confidence that initially fuelled their interest in Phillips, though, has vanished.

Kalvin Phillips
Phillips has made only six starts for Manchester City but has picked up five medals in 18 months since leaving Leeds - Khalid Alhaj/Getty Images

‘Nothing in the market makes financial sense to Newcastle’

In fact, there is no confidence that Newcastle will sign anyone. As grim as it will sound to supporters desperate to see some help arriving, they could fail to add any players, even on loan.

There is nothing in the market at the moment that makes sense to them on a medium- to long-term basis and they would rather wait until the summer to improve a squad that looks woefully short of finishing in the top six again this season.

Injuries have paralysed Newcastle – 11 players were missing against Manchester City last weekend, with their big money signing Sandro Tonali also banned until August. Howe is managing with one hand tied behind his back. He has been for weeks.

Howe has nothing on his bench to change games. No midfielders and only the 34-year-old winger Matt Ritchie as cover for the attacking players. It has been a repetitive story since the start of December when Newcastle’s slump began.

For 60 minutes, Newcastle are a threat, but as the starting XI tire they can no longer hurt teams offensively and become vulnerable defensively. Without fresh legs to revive them in the middle of the pitch or at the top, Newcastle’s fatigue is being exploited. It is also becoming a self fulfilling prophecy. Newcastle and their fans have been conditioned to expect late pain in games and so it keeps happening.

Howe’s side have not scored a result-defining goal, a winner or an equaliser, after the 64th minute all season but have conceded them in 10 matches, in all competitions. Their goal difference in the first 70 minutes is +13 but after conceding two late goals to lose to Manchester City, it is -4 in the last 20.

It creates tension. Any manager in Howe’s position would want signings. It is he who is judged solely on results and Newcastle have lost four Premier League games in a row and have won two out of their last 10 games in all competitions.

The thought of no signings being made is a sobering one and it raises the question, have Newcastle effectively written this season off as an ineffective one? The injuries are too bad, cutting too deep to be a success. They have to take it on the chin.

‘Club can put things right in the summer’

Their recruitment team will be able to put things right in the summer when their spending power will be greater, boosted by Champions League income from this season, as well as the new shirt sponsorship deal with Sela and lucrative manufacturing partnership with Adidas.

They have to stick to the plan and not panic in January when there is no value in the market. It is a risky strategy but you can also understand it.

The price they are likely to pay is that European qualification could be beyond them this season. Newcastle have slipped down to 10th in the table. Howe’s side are just three points below seventh-placed Manchester United and five points behind West Ham in sixth.

This season is not over by any means. Newcastle remain within striking distance and their fixture list, on paper, becomes a lot easier after they travel to Aston Villa at the end of this month.

There is a sense of calm at boardroom level. Howe’s job is not under any threat. They believe their January stance is the correct one because of their long-term approach. But it is always dangerous to let things meander in football.

‘Howe has the tools to finish the season strongly’

The thought process is this; injured players will start to return at the start of February and as their injury problems lessen, Howe will have the tools to make a strong finish to the campaign.

They are also in the fourth round of the FA Cup, where they face Fulham at Craven Cottage in just under a fortnight’s time.

But players like Joe Willock, who has barely played since May, and Harvey Barnes, who has been injured since September, will need time to get up to speed. They could easily suffer further problems after so long out injured with complex tendon and foot issues.

And what happens if Newcastle pick up more injuries in the meantime? Playmaker Bruno Guimaraes was struggling with a tight hamstring against City and is also just one more yellow card away from a two-game suspension.

At the moment, Newcastle would have to play a defender, either Fabian Schar or Lewis Hall, in midfield if they lose another player in that area of the pitch.

Striker Callum Wilson is due to return from his latest niggle in time for the Villa game but he keeps breaking down and will be 32 next month.

Newcastle should really bring in someone this month and are still searching the market for someone suitable. Actually getting them is proving rather more difficult. The market is slow, they can only hope things loosen late in the window. But most of their Premier League rivals are hoping for the same.