There are 48 days until the transfer window opens on January 1st, 2024.

So we would expect Newcastle to be linked with multiple players before the winter transfer window opens.

With Newcastle currently having 10 first-teamers out injured and Sandro Tonali banned for the season, it’s obvious the owners will be bringing players in during January – and we hope it’s at least 4 new players – some probably on loan.

But we also know that January is a difficult window to pry players away from their clubs in mid-season.

And we need both quantity but most of all quality.

So let’s start in defense and we need a left back.

That sounds silly even though we just bought Lewis Hall in from Chelsea, but with the experienced Dan Burn and Matt Targett both out, that’s a weakness we have with 19-year-old Hall just getting to know how Eddie Howe wants him to play.

In fact, one way Eddie Howe could get around the situation, short term, is to play Kieran Trippier at left-back and Tino Lavramento at right-back.

The former Saints full-back Lavramento has been awesome this season when he’s played in the first team, and he seems like a versatile player.

So there may be a question as whether we need a left-back if Trippier and Lavramento work well at full-back.

We definitely need a young center-back brought in, and it’s always been talked about bringing in somebody who can replace Fabian Schar long-term.

We were linked with Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite today, and he would be an excellent acquisition for us but we wonder if Everton would be willing to sell the player, especially in January.

We also need cover for the suspended Sandro Tonali, but I would like to see us bring someone in during January who would be in our long-term plans, not just a stop-gap for Tonali.

Somebody like Kalvin Phillips would do the job and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said recently that he would be willing to sell Phillips to any club in the Premier League in Jnauary – so that may be a possibility.

It looks like the other Premier League clubs will vote to cut off the possibility of signing Ruben Neves from Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.

So that proposed loan deal will not happen.

We also need a couple of goalscoring forwards up front, with Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak both out injured.

Both had injury problems last season too.

We would like to see a goalscoring winger and an out-and-out striker signed – whoever they may be.

So there you have it, we need the following positions strengthened:

Left-Back
Center-Back
Central-Midfield
Goalscoring winger
Striker

And as we said earlier, if we can play Kieran Trippier at left back and Tino Lavramento at right back then we may not need to bring in yet another left back – and why not try Paul Dummett there?

One of the things that worries us right now is how will we fare in the 10 games we have to play before the end of this year.

Eddie Howe and his current players need all the help we can give them this year, and then hopefully the owners will bring four or five new players in during January – hopefully early January if possible.

That’s the hope anyway.

Where do you think we need to strengthen and which players would you like brought in?

Comments welcome.