Craig Hope has now revealed five players that Newcastle United are targeting ahead of the opening of the January transfer window.
The Lowdown: Bodies needed
As the St. James’ Park faithful are currently lurking in the relegation zone, it is clear that reinforcements are needed next month in order to give them the best possible chance of surviving.
Survival means everything to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium, as they can then kickstart their long-term project in the summer, and thus be able to attract bigger names to the North East given that they would still be playing in the top flight.
The Latest: Five targets
As per Hope, Lloyd Kelly, a player Eddie Howe signed back in 2019, as well as central defenders Matthias Ginter, Joe Rodon and Sven Botman, are among the Tyneside outfit’s January targets.
The Daily Mail journalist is ‘also told’ that Mohamed Elneny is an option in the middle of the park for the new owners.
The Verdict: Kelly, Elneny plus one centre-back
Kelly is of course a player that Howe knows well – in a 2019/20 season plagued by injuries, he started eight out of the nine games that he was available under the manager (Transfermarkt).
A player that Howe has a lot of admiration for, he would certainly know how to get the best out of Kelly, providing that he can stay free of injury.
Elneny offers a lot of Premier League 30 goals so far in the top flight, the second-most out of any team.
Rodon offers that Premier League Botman have played at the highest level in the UEFA Champions League.
Nonetheless, bringing at least three of those players in would certainly help bolster up the squad, and give them the best possible chance of avoiding the drop.
In other news, find out which former Magpies NUFC are eyeing in a shock transfer here!