Could Roma's Evan N'Dicka and Atalanta goalkeeper Eddie Howe join Eddie Howe at Newcastle in the January transfer window? | National World / Getty Imagesplaceholder image
Could Roma's Evan N'Dicka and Atalanta goalkeeper Eddie Howe join Eddie Howe at Newcastle in the January transfer window? | National World / Getty Images | National World / Getty Images
Eddie Howe needs to make up for a poor summer transfer window in January
Malick Thiaw has gone under the radar as the biggest success story and Nick Woltemade has adapted to England more quickly than many expected, though still has some way to go before he justifies his enormous transfer fee, while Jacob Ramsey, Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa have been unmitigated disappointments so far - combining for just two assists.
With only a handful of top and bottom teams in the Premier League separated from the jumbo-sized mid-pack, Newcastle’s domestic hopes and dreams are far from dead though, and they remain at large in Europe. So with such a pivotal month coming up, we fired up Football Manager 26 to see how the transfer window could turn out for The Magpies…
Eddie Howe ticks all boxes in defence
David Raum - £34.5m from RB Leipzig - Full-back cover will be one of Howe’s main targets in January, and David Raum would be a dream addition. Experienced and versatile, the left-sided player would be a fantastic foil for Lewis Hall.
Evan N’Dicka - £50m from Roma - Roma don’t just have by far the strongest defence in Serie A by far, no team in Europe’s top five leagues has conceded less goals per game than Gian Piero Gasperini’s side. And N’Dicka is a huge part of that having been a mainstay for The Wolves, though £50m still feels an overspend on the 26-year-old Ivorian.
Marco Carnesecchi - £27.5m from Atalanta - Nick Pope has been one of the best shot-stoppers in the Champions League this season according to FBref and convincingly seen off the challenge of Aaron Ramsdale. However, the doubts over his ability to help Eddie Howe’s side control possession remains up for debate while Carnesecchi is as good with his hands and better with his feet than the England international.
Fran Garcia - loan from Real Madrid - Relegated to a bit-part player this campaign after making 31 La Liga appearances last season, the full-back is in search of game time in 2026.
Outgoings finally outweighed by arrivals for Newcastle
Emil Krafth - £7.75m to Brighton & Hove Albion - Krafth has racked up over 50 caps for Sweden, yet has only made 44 appearances in four seasons for The Mapgies so could likely do with a change of scene.
Joe Willock - £6.75m to Leicester City - One of the first marquee signings under Saudi ownership, Willock’s stepped backwards every season at St James’ Park so a loan to buy deal makes sense.
Park Seung-Soo - loan to Seongnam - The teenage South Korean has only featured once as an unused sub for Newcastle this season and though he’s seen more action in youth competitions, he hasn’t been prolific meaning a change of scene may be useful. Leo Shahar (Reading), Miodrag Pivas (Motherwell), Charlie McArthur (Dunfermline Athletic), Aidan Harris (Oldham) are also sent out on loan in FM26’s prediction.
Continue Reading