Newcastle denied Eddie Howe two January signings he tried to finalise

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe wanted a right winger and centre-back in the January transfer window, sources have told Football Insider.

The Magpies endured yet another difficult window, losing squad depth in Miguel Almiron and Lloyd Kelly without making a senior signing.

They scoured the market for potential additions in the final days before the deadline on 3 February but could not find a suitable deal that they could finalise after Howe personally held talks over multiple potential deals.

St James’ Park chiefs instead took the opportunity to move Almiron and Kelly on to balance the books, bringing in around £30million in much-needed funds.

It is believed that income will go towards a revamp of the Newcastle squad in the off-season, when the need for a new right winger and centre-back will finally be addressed.

Howe had wanted new arrivals in each position even before the January window started but has now been left with a threadbare squad for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.

Howe wanted Newcastle to sign centre-back and right winger

Marc Guehi was a top target last summer (2024) but Crystal Palace refused their advances and Newcastle decided against reigniting their pursuit.

Football Insider revealed on Tuesday (4 February) that Liverpool and Arsenal are among the sides likely to join the race for Guehi in the off-season.

Jacob Murphy is currently the first-choice right winger but Newcastle have long wanted an upgrade on the long-serving 29-year-old.

Howe’s side sit sixth in the Premier League table after losing 2-1 against Fulham on Saturday (1 February).

Premier League clubs have a responsibility to not fuel abuse towards referees after threats were made against Michael Oliver following his decision to send off Arsenal star Myles Lewis-Skelly against Wolves.

That is the view of finance expert Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider the situation surrounding the official got “out of control” following the decision.