Mehrdad Ghodoussi has not travelled with the Newcastle United squad to Saudi Arabia.
The players arrived for their warm-weather training camp last night, and official pictures of the squad exiting the plane have been released.
Eddie Howe and his coaching staff are in attendance, and so is the injured Callum Wilson. Leading the team off the aircraft was Amanda Staveley, but she is not accompanied by her husband.
That’s because he’s reportedly staying in the UK for what is set to be a huge week for the club.
While the players get to work in Saudi Arabia, the clock continues to tick on the January transfer window. The deadline is next Monday, with Newcastle still in need of multiple additions.
Since signing Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood, the January window has become frustrating. Moves for Diego Carlos and Jesse Lingard are proving difficult, with clubs being difficult to negotiate with.
Mehrdad Ghodoussi on transfer duty
Hopefully the trip to Saudi Arabia doesn’t complicate matters. According to the Athletic, Ghodoussi is staying in the UK to help the club land the targets they need.
They add that the key priority is a centre-back, which is no surprise given the way the transfer window has gone so far. While we did keep our second clean sheet on Saturday, that does not mean we don’t need to bring in at least one new defender.
It’s unknown how much the team’s trip to Saudi Arabia will impact the transfer search. Howe will likely have identified the players he wants, and left it in the hands of the recruitment team to get the deals done.
But will Staveley’s presence away from the UK have an adverse impact? Fingers crossed it won’t, and her husband can help secure the vital signings we need before the window slams shut.
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