NEWCASTLE: Eddie Howe admits improving his Newcastle United starting XI could prove difficult to do in the January transfer window.
Although, that does not mean he will not try to at least steady up his Magpies squad, with the club set to be fighting it out on three fronts heading into 2023.
The last two transfer windows have proved transformative for Newcastle and Howe: From the likes of Bruno Guimaraes dragging the Magpies away from the relegation zone 12 months ago, to the summer rebuild which has seen a shift into the Champions League places.
United have suffered just one defeat all season under Howe and remain in contention in all three domestic competitions, making them one of the country’s form teams. And adjusting and adding to the side with the right level of quality does come with its own pitfalls, of which Howe is only too aware.
“I’m always watching players with the view to signing them,” admitted the head coach ahead of Sunday’s return to league action at Leicester City.
“I’d like to think I’m an honest guy, but I don’t know whether we can get the right player. Improving our starting XI is very difficult without spending vast sums of money that we don’t have. Improving the squad is maybe a different thing, but do we want to improve the squad or do we want to improve the team.
“There are lots of different things, for example, injuries change things, and we always need to be careful with what we can do within Financial Fair Play regulations.”
More than $200 million has been spent by the Magpies’ majority owners, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, in the last two transfer windows. Howe does not expect next month to see anywhere near that level of expenditure.
He said: “We’re in a very different position to where we were last year.
“We knew we needed to act (last January) and we knew we needed some good numbers through the door to try and lift the group. Now, we’re in a different position. And also, we are in a different position with Financial Fair Play than we were last year where we didn’t have a legacy of transfer fees, so we had a gap there we could attack.
“Not avoiding your question, but we’re not sure what we want the window to look like because we’re not sure what is going to happen.”
One player heavily linked with a move to United next year is France international Marcus Thuram, fresh from his defeat in the World Cup final.
The player is a close friend of Newcastle star Allan Saint-Maximin, with the French winger admitting recently that he’d spoken to Thuram about a possible switch.
The Borussia Monchengladbach man is out of contract in the summer and is thought to be available for a knockdown fee in January. Bayern Munich are said to be interested, however.
Recently, Saint-Maximin said: “Yeah, I will be honest, I have chatted with him. For me, he’s a great player. I’ve known this guy a long time. I played football with him when I was very young. I know all his family. He has great parents. He’s an incredible guy.”
And when asked about his player’s words, Howe joked: “Well done, Maxi! He’s a top player. But yeah, no more than that. He’s one that I watched in the World Cup, for sure, but no more than that.”
Newcastle’s Howe on January transfers
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Newcastle’s Howe on January transfers
- United have suffered just one defeat all season under Howe and remain in contention in all three domestic competitions
Teen Mbaye seals AFCON last-16 victory for Senegal to end Sudan’s fairytale run
- 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward represented France at age-limit level before switching his international allegiance to Senegal
TANGIERS: Teenager Ibrahim Mbaye scored four minutes after coming off the bench to clinch a 3-1 victory for Senegal over Sudan in Tangiers on Saturday in the first Africa Cup of Nations last-16 match.
The 17-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward represented France at age-limit level before switching his international allegiance to Senegal, where his father was born.
Former champions Senegal will face Mali or Tunisia, who meet in Casablanca later on Saturday, in the quarter-finals.
Rattled by an early Aamir Abdallah goal for Sudan, Senegal recovered to lead 2-1 at half-time through a Pape Gueye brace. Mbaye put the outcome beyond doubt after 77 minutes.
It was a predicable result as Senegal are 99 places higher in the world rankings than Sudan, who were representing a country ravaged by civil war since April 2023.
“We played against a very disciplined Sudan team who showed that they got this far on merit. We needed to dig deep to come from a goal down to win,” said Senegal coach Pape Thiaw.
“Now we will focus on the next match and correct some of the mistakes we noted and pursue our goals with intensity.”
Ghana-born Sudan coach Kwesi Appiah said: “I am disappointed with the result, but proud of the effort of my players.
“We played against a very experienced Senegal team, but showed our quality. Despite the result, I am sure the Sudanese people know that we came to this competition and proudly represented them.”
Sudan rocked Senegal by taking a sixth-minute lead through Abdallah, a semi-professional who plays for an Australian second-tier club in Melbourne.
- Gueye brace -
It was a superb goal as the Sudan striker took possession just inside the area and curled the ball over former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and into the net.
Sudan had qualified for the knockout stage as one of the best four third-placed nations despite their players failing to score a single goal in three group matches, although an own goal brought victory over Equatorial Guinea.
A brave save from Sudan goalkeeper Monged Abuzaid on 29 minutes foiled Nicolas Jackson, but Senegal equalized almost immediately.
Former African player of the year Sadio Mane set up Gueye, who equalized with a low shot just inside the right post.
Senegal attacked continuously while Sudan had little to offer going forward in a match watched by Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe from South Africa.
The Mauritanian referee pointed to the penalty spot after Abuzaid fouled Ismaila Sarr. However, the decision was reversed after a long VAR review revealed a Senegalese player was offside in the build-up.
Crystal Palace attacker Sarr then scored only to be ruled offside in another let-off for the Sudanese.
Abuzaid was constantly in action and did well to push away a Gueye shot with an outstretched right hand as half-time approached.
There was still time for Gueye to score again, however, and give Senegal a half-time lead in the Mediterranean city.
The Villarreal midfielder side-footed home a cross three minutes into added time.
Senegal introduced Mbaye midway through the second half as they sought the insurance of a third goal. He made an immediate impact, latching on to a long pass and beating Abuzaid at his near post.
