The January window is an opportunity for Newcastle United

The January transfer window provides Newcastle United with a huge opportunity to strengthen the first team squad and to make a push for the title in the second half of the season. Whilst the wheels haven’t exactly fallen off the title campaign, they have most definitely started to wobble a bit and we can’t afford to leave this window empty handed.

In the last few matches some of the weaknesses in the squad have been highlighted, most notably the lack of creativity in the wake of Jonjo Shelvey’s 5 game suspension; in the 4 games Shelvey has missed so far, we have only won once, lost twice against sides we should have beat and escaped the Birmingham City FA Cup match with a lucky draw. During this period the defence has remained relatively strong but there has been no link up play between the midfield, the wingers and the forwards – it really has shown just how important Shelvey is to the side.

As we are all aware, Shelvey sits out the final game of his 5 match ban in the rearranged Championship match against Brentford tomorrow but that should not change the fact that we need more creativity in the side. We don’t necessarily need a player in just to act as cover for him in the event of an injury or another suspension (quite likely!), we need a player who can compliment him in the side – we should not be relying on just 1 player to be the creative spark. So for me, a creative, strong, experienced midfielder is the priority this window.

So far we have been linked in the press with the likes Cleverley, Loftus-Cheek, Hogan, McCarthy and Delph but so far transfer business has been quiet except for a few youngsters moving out on loan. That being said though, it is rare we do our business in the press nowadays; more often than not, when we make a signing, his name only becomes public knowledge when the transfer is imminent, normally the day before, or the day of, the signing. So whilst those names may have been “strongly” linked, it wouldn’t surprise me if we weren’t really pushing for them; our club’s name is often thrown in to the mix by agents wanting to push their client’s price up.

I’ve been asked a few times over the last week or so which player I would like us to sign and I find it a hard question to answer; I have not forgotten that we are in the Championship so the players I would like us to sign are probably not willing to step down the leagues; even if we are favourites for the title, it is still a huge gamble for any player. I suspect this is why Rafa has been looking at players who are available on an initial loan deal, it makes sense to both parties to agree a loan with a permanent fee attached should both parties agree come the end of the loan – it is a win win situation all round.

I must admit the players we have been linked with so far, who play Premiership football, have not exactly set my heart racing but they are probably better than what we have. They probably wouldn’t want to commit to a 5 year contract with a Championship club but a 6 month loan deal they could walk away from should they wish in June, that is a different story.

Whilst I may find it hard to name players to sign I do know which positions need strengthening and having read a few NUFC related posts on Twitter and Facebook over the last couple of weeks, I think most of the fans have the same thinking. Midfield is priority for sure, as stated above, we need creativity but also after half a season you start to see what players are clearly not good enough.

The initial form that Jack Colback had when he signed from Sunderland is a long, distant memory and on his current form, he should be nowhere near the starting 11. Cheick Tiote does not want to play for the club and although Isaac Hayden has had a solid start to the season, he is young, inexperienced and would benefit from some strong competition for the defensive midfielder role.

On the wings, Yoan Gouffran started well but in my opinion he has reverted back to form, bad, bad form at that. Christian Atsu has shown glimpses of promise on the wing but we need players capable of scoring goals, especially if Rafa continues with Dwight Gayle on his front as a lone striker. Gayle has so far performed unbelievably well but in this system you can not just rely on the striker for goals – they need to come from the wings, from the attacking midfielder and from midfield. I like Matt Ritchie and despite his inconsistent form of late, he is a cracking player, capable of playing on either wing but I feel we need “another Matt Ritchie” on the other flank; at the moment we are too one dimensional.

Up front we have decent numbers, although Mo Diame is away at the AFCON, Mitrovic is injured (and seemingly not high up in Rafa’s plans) and Perez is, well, not all that good right now – a real shame as I genuinely like the fella but there is something just not right with him in my opinion. We do of course have Murphy so I would imagine that a striker is not too high up on Rafa’s transfer targets, unless someone special .

In defence we have the numbers and despite a lot of fans giving schtick to Dummett (myself included), we do have the likes of Lazaar, Anita, Gamez and Yedlin as backup so again, I wouldn’t have thought that Rafa would be after defenders this window.

So, a winger, a creative midfielder and a defensive midfielder please Rafa. Thanks very much!