· December 24 2024, 13:30
The January transfer window is upon us and we'll all be hoping that Paul Mitchell can deliver Newcastle United fans some good news before the February deadline.
All signs currently point towards it being a very quiet window for Newcastle, especially in terms of incomings.
The NUFC Departure Lounge should be busy though with several players taking up valuable space on the wage bill who should have been shifted long ago.
It all, of course, depends on the market and who is buying, but Newcastle really need to start shifting players on and that will be Paul Mitchell's big remit in January, you'd expect.
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Eddie Howe is at the mercy of Paul Mitchell when it comes to transfers
We will wait until the summer before judging Paul Mitchell too harshly
Chris Waugh was asked in his most recent Fan Q&A for The Athletic if he thinks January will be the big test for Paul Mitchell and while Waugh believes it will be in one respect, it wouldn't be necessarily fair to judge him on transfers in January.
"January is a real test of Mitchell’s relationship with Howe. There has been little-to-no tension since Mitchell’s interview in September but, under the stress and strain of a window when the head coach will want to sign players and the sporting director is going to be looking to move others on, it will be interesting to see how they get along day to day. Difficult decisions have to be made and that always puts a strain on a relationship.
"When it comes to Mitchell’s ability in the market, next summer and the windows beyond will be more informative. Newcastle’s PSR constraints mean that he cannot really conduct much surgery at all mid-season, never mind oversee a substantial overhaul. Next summer, Newcastle may well have to sell one of their star players, and how that money is invested will be Mitchell’s responsibility."
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The relationship between Eddie Howe and Paul Mitchell is what will be interesting
We agree with what Waugh is saying here. January is always a difficult window at the best of times but with that PSR rope tightening around the club's neck again, the club are going to be very careful with what they spend before the new rules come into effect in the summer.
Whether these proposed new 'anchoring' rules make a blind bit of difference to anything remains to be seen, but for now the club are still bound by the current PSR constraints which have a tight grip on the pot of gold.
It is definitely going to be interesting to see how the relationship holds up over January, although we expect that the pair are both well informed of what's realistic next month.