Newcastle United could now sign three players in the January transfer window, says Matty Hewitt.
The Lowdown: Disappointing summer
The fact that the St. James' Park faithful only managed to sign one first-team player on a permanent deal in the shape of Joe Willock certainly meant that it was a disappointing window for Steve Bruce.
What makes matters worse is that Willock was already on loan at the North East club last season, and so they have not really managed to strengthen their squad at all, despite the youngster's undoubted impact.
The Latest: January awaits
Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Hewitt has now said that the Tyneside outfit could still sign Ross Barkley, Hamza Choudhury and Boubacar Kamara in January, while Freddie Woodman and Sean Longstaff are players that could potentially leave.
Newcastle stressed their need for a sustainable transfer method in a recent statement, so it makes perfect sense to fund some new arrivals with the sales of two young, English players, who will no doubt attract decent profits.
Nonetheless, the Toon Army will want to see some activity to give Bruce the best squad possible going into the second half of the season.
The Verdict: Get it done
Even if a couple of them have to be loan deals, the Magpies should be looking to sign all three players if possible.
Described as an ‘unbelievable’ player by Callum Wilson and one that he would like to play with on The Super 6 podcast (via HITC) back in February, Barkley certainly has a point to prove after falling way down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, and could form a good partnership playing just behind Wilson.
Choudhury would also help beef up Bruce's midfield options, while Kamara has started off the new Ligue 1 season well, winning no fewer than 3.3 of his duels per game, in addition averaging 1.7 tackles and 1.7 key passes per match (Sofascore).
It is imperative that the squad depth is bolstered, and even more crucially all three of these players would buff up the spine of the team, something that looks a little weak at the moment.