Newcastle United are going to have to show “imagination” in the January transfer window to avoid relegation, according to BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks.
Despite winning their first game of the season against Burnley, Eddie Howe’s side were taken apart in a 4-0 defeat to Leicester on Sunday.
With our next three games being against Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United, there is every chance we could be bottom of the Premier League at the season’s halfway stage.
Whilst Howe’s side face three of the league’s biggest sides over the next two weeks, the likes of Norwich, Burnley and Watford, all have a more favourable run of fixtures.
Although the gap to Watford, who currently sit 17th, is only three points, our dire goal difference takes the deficit to practically four points.
Commenting on Newcastle’s current situation after the drubbing against the Foxes, which saw Youri Tielemans named in his team of the week, Crooks felt Newcastle’s new owners are going to have to no choice but to splash the cash.
Crooks said: “Newcastle may have new owners with money but they had better spend some of it quickly, otherwise they could find themselves in the Championship, where their spending power will be severely restricted.”
Crooks felt the Magpies were “outclassed in every department” against Brendan Rodgers’ side and that the daunting run of fixtures could leave Howe facing a tall order.
The 63-year-old said: “The Magpies were outclassed in every department and manager Eddie Howe has problems. His games over the Christmas period could leave him isolated and marooned at the foot of the table.
“Some imagination in the January transfer window might be their only way out.”
January cannot come soon enough
We may have won our first game of the season under Howe, but we’re still shipping far too many goals. Under the first five games of the former Bournemouth manager’s tenure, the Toon Army has conceded 10 goals in five games.
That takes our total for the season to 34 conceded from 16 Premier League games, the most in the top-flight.
Defensive reinforcements are going to have to be prioritised, but as are sprinkles of star quality. Callum Wilson desperately needs more ammunition and we need to lighten the goalscoring burden off his shoulders.
The mauling at the King Power Stadium was a stark reminder that quality is going to be the difference between survival and relegation.
Crooks is right, PIF are going to have to pull out all the stops in the January transfer window and give Howe a much-needed injection of quality.
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