Mark Lawrenson believes Newcastle United might now ‘just’ stay up, after initially suggesting the club would be relegated.
The Magpies are looking in much better shape now compared to the start of January.
The club brought in five new players, with three of those defenders.
Newcastle may have needed one or two more. But it was a pretty decent window in the end considering the challenges the new owners faced.
Three new additions to the backline is good going, and the acquisition of Bruno Guimaraes is particularly exciting.
Newcastle’s near-£100 million outlay certainly gives them a great chance of staying the division.
Interestingly, Lawrenson believes the Magpies may now have enough to survive.
At the start of December, ahead of Newcastle’s game with Burnley, Lawrenson said he felt that the club had left itself a ‘huge task’.
“They will probably need to win at least 10 of their remaining 24 games, and I just don’t see that happening,” he said.
But now, Lawrenson reckons survival is on the cards. He said (via Shields Gazette): “The thing for Newcastle is to obviously stay up this season and I think with the signings they’ve made; they might just do it. It’s the start of a long road.”
Newcastle have a strong enough squad to survive
There is no doubt Newcastle’s squad is now in a healthier place.
The five players that have come in are all sound additions, and it should be easier to pick up points from here on in. Certainly, it should at least be easier to stay in games through having a more solid defence.
It is essential for Newcastle to make the most of this month.
It’s a very tough final couple of months in terms of the fixtures. So Eddie Howe has got to find some form now.
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