With all the talk of a possible takeover at the club, our Newcastle United fans inside the Transfer Tavern are hoping it means a big spending January transfer window for Rafa Benitez.

Newcastle are in a poor run of form of late, plummeting from the early season highs of being in the top end of the Premier League to flirting with the relegation zone in a matter of months. Benitez seemed a frustrated figure in the summer, having to work with a small budget to strengthen a newly promoted squad, and that’s not something that looks to have changed.

To ensure Newcastle have a strong second half to the season in order to maintain their Premier League status, Benitez will need urgent and important talks with Managing Director Lee Charnley to clarify a budget as soon as possible, despite the turmoil behind the scenes.

With that in mind, these two issues have got to top the agenda, otherwise, it could be a return to the Championship sooner than planned…

A striker

Benitez is in desperate need of a striker that can find the net on a regular basis. Newcastle have been struggling for goals this season, scoring on average below one goal a game in the Premier League and a fully recognized Premier league level striker is a must.

Neither Dwight Gayle nor Joselu cut particularly impressive figures when leading the line and, if this area isn’t improved, the Toon will go down.

Centre-back

Although Newcastle need to strengthen in the majority of the areas of the pitch, a quality centre-back is a must to stop the leaks in the back-line. Injuries have hampered the majority of the Toon’s season which have played their part in their decline, so more strength in depth is a priority.

The return of Jamaal Lascelles should certainly help, though he needs a strong and stable partner.