What Newcastle United would now rather sign in January between a centre-back and a right winger

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Newcastle United had two priority positions to address in the summer, but failed to land either.

A centre-back was the Magpies’ top target, with Eddie Howe wanting Newcastle to sign Marc Guehi.

Paul Mitchell believed he could sign Guehi, and set about trying to agree a fee with Crystal Palace. That proved to be beyond him, as Newcastle United were priced out of a deal for the 24-year-old.

With that deal collapsing on the eve of transfer deadline day, Newcastle tried to quickly pivot towards their other priority, a winger.

However, Newcastle’s late attempt to sign Anthony Elanga failed, with their bid for the Nottingham Forest winger reeking of desperation.

By the time the transfer window closed, Paul Mitchell had not signed a centre-back or a winger. Newcastle United had not become any stronger, and there has been quite the fallout to the Magpies’ transfer failings.

Newcastle United’s new transfer priority for January

But now attention has turned to the next transfer window, and Eddie Howe and Paul Mitchell are set to identify January targets very soon.

It has been reported that Newcastle will likely make a fresh move for Marc Guehi, whose asking price will surely have decreased – assuming he does not sign a new contract with Crystal Palace.

However, while Guehi was the priority in the summer, that might not be the case in January.

According to iNews, Newcastle United’s current priority for January is a right winger.

Why a centre-back might not be as essential in January for Newcastle

During the summer, Newcastle’s top objective was to bring in a right-sided centre-back. The club wanted someone who could be Fabian Schar’s long-term successor and play alongside Sven Botman in the middle of defence.

Guehi was identified for that role, and there was hope that a deal could be agreed. It was seen as essential, due to Newcastle’s lack of options at centre-back. After all, Fabian Schar’s understudy was and still is Emil Krafth, who is a right-back by trade.

That is why Newcastle’s centre-back pursuit was so important, but the picture could look a bit different come January.

The hope is that Botman and Jamaal Lascelles will be fit after their ACL injuries come the start of 2025, and that will put the Magpies under less pressure to sign a centre-back.

Newcastle have greater capacity to spend

That could therefore allow Newcastle to focus their attention on a winger, which is arguably the starting XI position that needs the most attention.

Howe needs an upgrade on Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy, and failed to get that in the summer. Michael Olise was Newcastle’s top target, but he joined Bayern Munich. Elsewhere, the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Nico Williams were unattainable, while Pedro Neto and Crysencio Summerville went elsewhere.

As January looms, Howe and Mitchell will be scoping out new targets, and it will be interesting to see who they identify to bring in on the right of attack.

The one bonus of Newcastle’s poor January is that there is greater scope to spend in January, due to the Premier League’s PSR rules. However, January is notoriously a more difficult window to do business in, with player prices often inflated due to it being the middle of the season.

That is something that Newcastle chiefs must consider, despite being under pressure to improve the squad after failing to do so in the summer.