Newcastle United have set their sights on a “special player” ahead of the January transfer window, but there could be competition from Premier League rivals Everton.
While Matthias Jaissle is hoping to get the best out of his current group of players, after what has been a disappointing start to the campaign, the manager has admitted there could be some changes to the squad this winter.
Ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage, Jaissle said: “First of all, it’s on us to do the best out of the current squad. We have a lot of potential players, young signings we did in the summer. But as a manager, you always aim for adjustments in each transfer window. This will be my first one in January, and of course, you’re always aiming for adjustments.
“We need to see what might happen [in the January window], but this is not something we’re focusing now. Now the pure focus is on Fulham – that will be a big challenge by itself and therefore we don’t get distracted by other things.”
Newcastle went on to play out a 1-1 draw against the Cottagers, which means they currently sit 12th in the Premier League table, having collected 12 points from their opening ten matches.
There are also some tough fixtures on the horizon following the international break, which may be a concern for Jaissle, who is already under pressure.
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Newcastle’s upcoming fixtures |
Date |
|
Arsenal (h) |
November 21st |
|
Brighton (a) |
November 29th |
|
Man Utd (h) |
December 2nd |
|
Sunderland (h) |
December 6th |
|
Ipswich Town (a) |
December 12th |
The lack of a consistent striker has been a problem for the German, with Yoane Wissa recently receiving criticism, having found the net on just one occasion this term.
As such, strengthening in forward areas could serve the Magpies well this winter, but they are also interested in signing an attacking midfielder.
Newcastle enter the race to sign Jack Rudoni
According to a report from Football Insider, Newcastle have now joined the race to sign Coventry City star Jack Rudoni, who scored for the Sky Blues in their 4-1 victory against Jaissle’s side back in October.
At the end of the season, Rudoni will have just one year left on his current contract, but Coventry are hoping he opts to stay if they manage to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
However, there is mounting interest from elsewhere, with Everton also keen on signing the former Huddersfield Town man, off the back of his impressive performances this season.
The 25-year-old, who rakes in £25,000-a-week, already has three goals to his name in the Premier League, after receiving major plaudits from Frank Lampard en-route to Coventry achieving promotion from the Championship last season.
Lampard said: “He has the ability to play in the Premier League … I just hope it’s with us … he’s a special player … he looked like a Champions League player today … I don’t wanna overcook it!”
As such, Rudoni could be an exciting signing for Newcastle, but their main priority should be to sign a striker, with Matias Fernandez-Pardo yet to get off the mark in front of goal, while Wissa has only chipped in with one goal this season.
