Paul Mitchell sent blunt January transfer message amid Newcastle United fear

In a blunt message with eyes fixed on the upcoming January transfer window, the majority of ChronicleLive readers have not placed their trust sporting director Paul Mitchell to complete the business they deem necessary.

For a club with such huge ambitions and financial backing, Mitchell may have thought he was walking into an entirely different scenario than the one he discovered during the summer months. Instead Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) was the cursed phrase that lingered over any business Newcastle were able to complete - in terms of both incomings and outgoings.

Ultimately the summer window saw the completion of one main goal - keep hold of star players Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes - but after that underwhelming is a fair word to use. The £28m arrival of Lewis Hall - which had been agreed the previous year along with his initial loan - ended up being the most expensive of four permanent arrivals.

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Failure to land top-target, Crystal Palace and England central defender Marc Guehi, played out in public view whilst Michael Olise rapidly shut down the notion of making the same move by transferring to Bayern Munich instead, leaving the Magpies go the entire summer without adding a right-sided attacker to their ranks.

Rumour even began to spread in the aftermath of the market's closure in September suggesting Mitchell would end his association with the club after only two months, to the point that forced the club to intervene.

Now almost three months into the new campaign, Eddie Howe's men find themselves in 11th in the standings. They might still be on the doorstep of European qualification, though this is going to be a highly competitive race that they won't wish to lose for a second season running.

Injuries this season have already exposed Newcastle's shortcomings to the point that when asked what should be the priority for the January transfer window, a 52 per cent majority of ChronicleLive readers say a centre forward must be signed ahead of anyone else.

This indicates a lack of faith in Callum Wilson's ability to stay fit for the season. The 32-year-old has been a talisman since he joined the club but hasn't actually been able to feature at all this season with his ongoing back problem, leaving Isak as the only senior forward. The Swede has found a bit of form after a slow start, scoring a sensational winner against Arsenal, but with the raw William Osula the only other potential striker (along with an out-of-position Anthony Gordon), Chronicle readers believe the priority must be strengthening this department.

That said, 39 per cent maintain that a right-winger has to be the focus, whilst only nine per cent still want a central defender added to the squad. It's a strong message to Eddie Howe and Mitchell after the club put all of its focus in the summer into that position, in particular Guehi.

But are Mitchell and the club's recruitment staff able to deliver what the fans want? This next question posed to ChronicleLive readers produced a telling response.

58 per cent responded no, proving a lack of faith in Mitchell and his powers of negotiation, leaving the remaining 42 per cent took his side. It is to be hoped that the director of football proves the majority wrong.