Newcastle facing January dilemma after Joelinton blow and Howe hint
by Olly Hawkins · 12 January 2024, 15:10
Newcastle United have some tough transfer decisions to make this month; and they've only got tougher following today's injury news.
Financial Fair Play and the Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules are clearly an issue and it's been highlighted that spending now would impact our summer budget, but confirmation that Joelinton will be missing for at least SIX weeks makes need for new arrivals even greater.
However, it's clear we won't pay silly fees in a naturally inflated January market, while Eddie Howe showed signs of frustration in today's press conference, believing we have very few “friends in the market”, with no clubs happy to “help us out.”
That brings me to Man City, who may be less likely to lower their Kalvin Phillips' loan fee (thought to be around £7m) after today's injury update. Not only is Joelinton out for the foreseeable future, Howe confirmed fellow midfielders Joe Willock and Elliot Anderson won't be back "anytime soon."
So, do we bite the bullet and pay a few extortionate fees, giving us a short-term boost but impacting long-term budget, or stick by plan but risk missing our on Europe? We may get by, but it's a risk when our pulling power over the summer will be partially dictated by our European status. Either way, it feels like fresh blood and a mid-season boost is needed, but will finances, FFP or the PIF's 'process driven' approach allow for some short-term moves.
It's never this simple, but shifting a few sellable fringe men (easier said than done when some are injured, out of form or on big contracts) and pushing ahead with two loans (one domestic, one overseas) could be the compromise, even if fees seem higher than we'd like. After all, the longer we wait for the likes of Phillips, the less time we have to use him or get him up to speed.
A frustrating situation and increasingly tedious to hear FFP mentioned so often when the current 'big six' got such a head start without it, but we've always been told to have patience. The future is bright, let's just hope we make the right calls this month to ensure improvements in the short-term.
