Hughton wants more players
Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton says he wants to bring in two or three more players before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
Newcastle have been working away in pre-season and have not made any huge signings, which a few of the club's fans may have been expecting. Hughton says he wants to give the current squad a chance but hopes to bring in a few players who will eradicate any chance of relegation back to the Championship.
Hughton promised the fans he would make signings when and where he sees it necessary. Xisco is back at the club after a year on loan and the club have been linked with bringing in Manchester United's Tom Cleverly on loan.
There are one or two areas of the Newcastle team where a new face will be a welcome. However, Hughton is a very shrewd manager and he will not risk the wrong player simply for the sake of bringing someone in.
Areas to improve
Newcastle needs a good player to come and play in the middle of the pitch. They lacked someone who could hold the team together in this area the last time they were in the Premier League and they ended up being relegated. Cleverly could do this job but it's a huge responsibility for a young player at a big club.
The side need some fire power up front because they do not look as though they have a striker that will bag them 20 goals during the course of the Premier League season.
Hughton has a number of options in these areas but it's important he works quickly because other sides are hunting for players. Newcastle may ultimately miss out on a player who will improve their chances of safety.
Hughton said: "Can I guarantee anything? Of course I can't, but we're working very hard on it. Xisco has been good in pre-season. We have six strikers who have all been fit in pre-season so it's been a case of shifting them around to give them the minutes they need. The difficulty for him is he's playing in a position where we have a lot of options. All he can do is to force the decision. He can put himself in a position to perform and train well."
The right players
Hughton does not look like a manager who is going to rush into signing new players without good reason. Many people will forget that Newcastle are a very big club who are not short on players and have plenty of options ahead of the start of the Premier League.
They do lack a little bit of quality but Hughton has options if he cannot find the right signings. This means he is less likely to rush in to signing the wrong player as opposed to a manager who only has half a squad in place.
He added: "I suppose it's a little bit like Leon Best when he came in January with Andy Carroll and Peter Lovenkrands scoring goals for fun. It made it difficult for him to get the minutes on the pitch. Xisco played more regularly back in Spain last season, now he must continue to do well in pre-season and force the issue."
Betting advice
Newcastle should not struggle next season but with the right additions coming in to the club they could make the top half of the table. Everything is in place at the moment apart from that vital piece of quality that will push them up the league table.
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