Siddharth Suresh
Two players Newcastle must sign in January
According to Chronicle Live, Newcastle United may have a busy time in the January transfer window, with half of the Premier League season almost done.
Manager Steve Bruce is keen to strengthen his squad after struggling in the league so far (h/t Chronicle Live). They are currently 10th in the league table, managing just 6 wins out of a total of 16 matches.
Bruce, who arrived at St James Park midway through June, had just three weeks to try and reshape his squad.
Although he made five new signings, he is eager to bolster his options in the midfield ahead of the winter transfer window, the report adds.
Having said that, let’s take a closer look at two players who would be a worthy addition to Steve Bruce’s side, who have 22 points as of now.
Granit Xhaka (Arsenal)
The former skipper is currently going through one of the worst periods of his footballing career.
He was recently stripped of his captaincy after a recent bust-up with the Arsenal fans and has since been on the fringes since.
With his future at the club remaining an uncertainty, Newcastle seem interested in the Swiss midfielder and are hopeful of bringing him to St. James Park on a loan deal until the end of the season, the report claims.
Meanwhile, Xhaka is eager for regular action in order to ensure himself of a spot in the Switzerland Euro 2020 squad, as per the report. The holding midfielder has played 11 games this season for the Gunners, before falling out with the club’s fans in October.
Meanwhile, barring Jonjo Shelvey, Newcastle have been entirely reliant on Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff for most of the season.
Landing Xhaka would offer them experience and dynamism in the middle to tackle stronger oppositions.
The 2017 FA Cup winner with Arsenal is also a good passer of the ball, which is quite evident from his 87.1% success rate this season, according to Whoscored.
Also, he has impressed for the Gunners with his set-piece abilities – something which Newcastle clearly lack at the moment.
Habib Diallo (FC Metz)
The FC Metz forward is another player Newcastle have been monitoring for some time, according to the report.
One of the main issues for the Magpies this season has been their inability to score goals. With their attackers not hitting the target, Newcastle are in dire need of some reinforcements upfront.
The Magpies have scored just 17 goals in 16 games so far and the in-form Diallo’s inclusion would offer them some relief in the attack.
Diallo has scored 9 of his side’s mere 13 league goals this season. However, Metz are currently struggling in the French league, as they remain in the relegation zone.
The Senegalese would provide healthy competition to summer signing Joelinton, who has been a major flop.
With not many potent options in front of the goal, Bruce has been forced to keep faith in the Brazilian, despite his poor displays.
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With all his attackers clearly failing to impress so far, signing the in-form Diallo would offer Bruce more options and help them climb up the table.
