With eight games to go in the Championship season, it truly is squeaky bum time for our resident Newcastle punters in the Transfer Tavern.

The Magpies currently sit pretty much neck and neck with Brighton and Hove Albion going into the final weeks of the campaign and our landlord believes that even if they get promoted, it will be deemed a failure if Rafael Benitez’s men fail to win the league, given the quality they have among their squad.

Geordie fans in the Tavern are not as bothered if they top the division, though – all they know that there will be a lot of cleaning up for the landlord to do if their side get promoted, with quite the party planned for that event!

With that said, attention has very much turned to who Newcastle need to get into the club so that they avoid relegation again. They just simply are too big a club to be playing Championship football according to our landlord and he has been busy in his beer cellar putting together a list of players he believes Benitez should be looking to sign to strengthen his side in the summer.

Here are THREE players the club’s scouts should be keeping an eye on during the international break…

Dries Mertens

Some bizarre rumours have been circulating out of Belgium that Mertens may well be on his way to St James’ Park in the summer, which may mean Benitez will be glued to Belgium’s fixtures against Greece and Russia in this international break.

Mertens has 24 goals in all competitions to his name this season and it’s safe to say that the Toon section of the Transfer Tavern are frothing at the mouth at the prospect of this signing.

Tom Cairney

Recently called up to the Scottish squad, Tom Cairney has been catching many an eye this season and a move to Newcastle in the summer looks possible following the interest from the Magpies in January.

Our landlord believes that a move to Newcastle would be a no brainer for Cairney who, at 26, surely wants to be playing at the highest level he can.