Why Newcastle United might not bid for Marc Guehi in January as new transfer plan is made

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Newcastle United failed to strengthen their squad in the summer, and must now wait until January.

It was a disastrous summer transfer window for Newcastle United, with four fresh faces arriving at St James’ Park. However, two of them were goalkeepers and one was a project player who is yet to score a Premier League goal.

The other was Lloyd Kelly, who has started well on Tyneside. However, he is hardly a transformative signing.

It was an awful window for Newcastle, who failed to land their top target – Marc Guehi.

Paul Mitchell thought he could sign Guehi for Newcastle, but was unable to agree a fee with Crystal Palace. They wanted £75million for the 24-year-old, which resulted in the Magpies walking away.

Newcastle United remain interested in Marc Guehi

But the England international is still a player of interest, and it has been reported that Newcastle could target Guehi again in January.

However, a new report from the Athletic has detailed why a fresh approach for Guehi is not necessarily guaranteed.

According to the Athletic, Newcastle are still interested in Guehi. However, they report that another pursuit of the centre-back will depend on what position Eddie Howe needs to strengthen in the most come January.

Newcastle have needed another centre-back all summer, but the situation in defence could look a bit brighter come early 2025 when Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles could be back from serious knee injuries.

If Howe is suddenly well stocked in that position, it may result in Newcastle committing their January funds elsewhere.

Guehi’s contract situation could influence Newcastle’s decision

While Newcastle might not be as desperate for a centre-back in January, they do still need to bring in someone who can be Fabian Schar’s long-term successor.

Guehi looks ideal for that role, which is why Eddie Howe was so keen to bring him in this summer.

That keenness will likely remain, with Guehi’s Crystal Palace future still up in the air. It looked like he would leave during the summer transfer window, as it was the optimum time for the Eagles to sell due to his contract expiring in 2026.

That is still the case, and it has been reported that Guehi has reservations over signing a new contract with Crystal Palace. If that proves to be the case, it will likely result in his asking price decreasing. In turn, that could create an opening for Newcastle to rectify their mistake.

Newcastle plan to be active in January

Whether they target Guehi or not, the Athletic state that Newcastle United plan to do business in January, but only for the right player.

They report that Newcastle will not panic buy. Instead, they will only sign a player if they believe he improves Eddie Howe’s team.

Despite Newcastle’s summer struggles, they remain committed to only signing the right player. That is the correct stance to take, as the Magpies cannot afford to get any transfers wrong in the era of PSR.