The Toon Army here in the Transfer Tavern are enjoying life back in the Premier League, but they are demanding the arrival of new talent in January to ensure their Premier League status is preserved this season.
Reports from The Sun claim Danny Ings is set for a loan move to Tyneside in January, in order to provide fresh competition for places up front, despite his insistence that Liverpool are a club he does not “want to walk away from”.
Football can be a bitterly cruel game at times, as injuries plague careers and destroy the development of highly talented individuals.
Danny Ings is a prime example of this, as he was forced out of action for almost two seasons following serious consecutive knee injuries, before he made a long-awaited return to first-team action in the Caraboa Cup against Leicester City in September.
However, with Ings desperately lacking match-fitness and facing competition for a starting berth in forward positions with Firmino, Sturridge, Salah and Mane, he would be smart to consider a loan move away from Anfield to acquire the crucial playing time he needs to return to full fitness.
The Newcastle fans on the bar here would be distraught to witness another shock relegation this season and believe Mike Ashley needs to continue investing in fresh talent, to enable Rafael Benitez’s men to establish themselves as a force in the Premier League once again.
Ashley may want to look towards some of the players on offer within the Premier League and help Danny Ings and other talented individuals reignite their Premier League careers with a switch to Tyneside.
Here are two players that would boost Newcastle’s chances of securing a mid-table finish this season.
Luke Shaw
It is time for Luke Shaw to call an end to his disastrous career at Manchester United and begin to live up to his potential elsewhere in the Premier League.
Shaw offered immense promise as a 19-year-old for Southampton and more than justified the hefty transfer fee which saw him move to Manchester United from the south coast in 2014.
However, the England international has not kicked on and become anything close to the quality of player he was widely tipped to become, due to a combination of injuries and consequent lack of match-fitness.
Unfortunately for Shaw, he has to prove himself to Mourinho, one of the hardest men to please in the business, that he can become a valuable asset to the United team and stake a claim for the left-back position.
First-team opportunities should be easier for Shaw to come by at Newcastle United, where the left-back position is very much there for the taking.
With the right guidance from Benitez, Shaw can kick-start his career again and allow the qualities he demonstrated three years ago as a marauding full-back to resurface.
Kevin Mirallas
The relationship between player and manager plays a key role in determining the performance and attitude of individual players on the pitch.
One relationship that appears to have rapidly deteriorated in recent months is the one between Everton’s creative winger Kevin Mirallas and manager Ronald Koeman, particularly in the wake of Koeman’s decision to block Olympiakos’ bid to take Mirallas on loan to the Greek side this summer.
If Newcastle can spot this opportunity to grab a bargain in January, they would be acquiring a man who boasts an impressive 29 goals and 24 assists from 149 appearances in the Premier League.
The fact that Mirallas recently turned 30 should not represent a problem for Newcastle, as he has never relied heavily on pace for success within the final third of the pitch.
Considering how quickly the relationship between Mirallas and Koeman has broken down, Newcastle should be able to bring Mirallas to the North-East for a very modest price in relation to his ability.
Newcastle should pursue the Belgian before another club snatches him from under their noses.
