Eddie Howe has, on Friday, provided a less than positive transfer update for Newcastle United.
Newcastle have so far signed two players this month; Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid and Chris Wood from Burnley.
Both players should prove to be solid additions to the squad, especially if Newcastle are relegated and they have to rely on Wood’s goals to get them back up next year.
However, it remains fairly obvious that Newcastle could still do with a few new faces in the door.
But with the transfer window closing in just over a week and an international break on the horizon to potentially make signing players more difficult, Newcastle would likely want most of their business done very soon.
But that does not look as though it will happen. When speaking in his pre-Leeds press conference on Friday, Eddie Howe stated that he is not expecting any new players to come in before Newcastle face Leeds: “Just looking at the clock, I think we can say that (there will be no new arrivals ahead of Leeds).
“It’s been a slightly frustrating week for us in the transfer market, I think.
“We obviously know we’re against a deadline, and everyone connected with the club is desperately trying to improve the squad. We’re working very hard behind the scenes, but it’s been a fruitless search this week.”
Leeds a must-win tie for Newcastle?
Newcastle probably could have done with at least one new player in before facing Leeds on Saturday.
The Magpies are currently 19th in the Premier League and passed up a great chance to get out of the bottom three last weekend when they drew 1-1 with 17th-place Watford.
Leeds are not as close to the relegation zone as the Hornets, but Marcelo Bielsa’s side have still had a rough campaign to date that has been marred by injuries – something Newcastle must take advantage of if they wish to avoid the drop.
