Eddie Howe makes surprise admission on Newcastle United’s lack of signings as one word jumps out

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For the third transfer window in a row, Eddie Howe has received no upgrades to his starting XI at Newcastle United.

The January window proved to be another frustrating one for Newcastle United fans, who were treated to a whopping zero new signings.

• £100m transfer boost for Newcastle United as Paul Mitchell targets three signings

The Magpies are in hot pursuit of a return to the Champions League, but Eddie Howe will have to compete in three competitions with a weakened squad for the second half of the season.

That is because Miguel Almiron has left to rejoin Atlanta United, while Lloyd Kelly has joined Juventus on loan.

Both deals are set to earn Newcastle north of £30m in what will be a major boost to PSR, but the lack of squad depth and new signings means the club has taken a huge gamble.

Eddie Howe’s surprising stance on lack of signings

Weakening the squad is something Howe and his staff were desperate to avoid.

Howe only “reluctantly” agreed to sell Almiron this month after persuading him to stay put over the summer too.

As for the other outgoing, Howe was not happy about Kelly leaving as Newcastle’s defensive department is now spread incredibly thin.

But in his pre-match press conference for the Arsenal clash, Howe had a surprising take on Newcastle’s transfer business, hailing it as “successful”.

“I said right at the start in the build-up to the window, that it was not a case really of looking at incoming – it was a case of trying to manage outgoings really and trying to not weaken the squad to a point where the team’s affected,” Howe said.

“But we also future plan and make sure that we control everything in terms of our PSR level, so I think we’ve done that. I think it’s been successful in that regard.

“I think the two sales – the two players go with our best wishes, they’re two great lads. The squad is lighter in numbers but high in quality so I think for us managing injuries, etc will be a big part of what we do now in this part of the season coming up.

“There’s still no reason why we can’t be successful but yeah, hopefully the future looks a little bit brighter.”

Eddie Howe must be backed in the summer

It must be frustrating for Howe to end another window with no significant incomings, but the Magpies boss understands the short-term sacrifice for long-term gains.

Newcastle’s patient and cautious approach seems to be setting up a huge budget for the summer window.

Because of amortisation, Kelly’s sale alone can fund a £70m signing in the summer. On top of that, Newcastle will bank a £73m PSR boost.

READ MORE: Newcastle United were close to signing £33m player but pulled out

Ultimately, there are plenty of reasons to be positive despite the quiet January window.

Paul Mitchell has done well to collect sizeable fees for Almiron and Kelly. He will, however, be judged more on where that money is spent in the summer.