Newcastle chief Amanda Staveley lifts lid on ‘robust’ Magpies plan for January window
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Newcastle United shareholder Amanda Staveley has declared that ‘robust’ preparations for the upcoming January transfer window are underway behind closed doors. The Magpies have been tipped to emerge as one of the Premier League’s major players in the mid-season market following the completion of their lucrative Saudi-backed takeover last month.
The consortium in question is understood to be worth in excess of £300billion due to the involvement of the Public Investment Fund, which represents the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia.
A number of high-profile transfer targets have been linked with Newcastle as a result of their newly-found riches, including the likes of Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Porto winger Luis Diaz.
It remains to be seen which direction the Magpies will go in when January rolls around, with the club firmly embroiled in the battle for Premier League survival at the foot of the table.
Newcastle currently occupy 19th place in the division and have failed to win a single league match all season, leaving new boss Eddie Howe with plenty of work to do when the transfer market reopens.
The former Bournemouth manager is expected to be heavily backed by Newcastle’s wealthy new custodians, who will be determined to make the right decisions in terms of recruitment from the word go.
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Staveley, who has emerged as the public face of Newcastle’s ownership group, revealed on Thursday that plenty of effort is already going into their preparations for the January window.
She told the club’s YouTube channel that it will be crucial to invest in the mid-season market to give Howe and his backroom team the best possible chance of achieving Premier League survival at the end of the campaign.
“We’ve got a robust business plan and we’re developing that every week,” explained Staveley.
“January is a monster so we’re preparing for the transfer window. It’s not a window that we would ordinarily want to invest in, because you don’t normally get the right deals, but that’s something that is important at the moment.
“And then preparing alongside all the teams, I think we’ve got a lot of meetings set up over the next few weeks and we look forward to working with everybody.”
Newcastle gained an unwanted reputation for their tight-fisted approach to the transfer market during Mike Ashley’s time in charge of the club, but their fortunes look set to change from January onwards under the control of their new investors.
However, Howe has already urged supporters and the wider media to avoid getting carried away with transfer rumours, insisting that his current crop may be unsettled by the widespread speculation over their respective futures.
“I see all the reports linking Newcastle with this player and that player, it doesn’t do any good for the players who are here reading that,” the Magpies boss told reporters.
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“I would urge people not to speculate too much. For me it’s the team in the here and now, that is my only focus.”
Howe will be looking to make a winning start to his new role at Newcastle when they welcome Brentford to St James’ Park in their first game after the international break.
The Magpies will have opportunities to pick up some much-needed points over the next few weeks, with Norwich City and Burnley also lying in wait before the start of the festive period.
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