Newcastle Toons
Fansided

Lee Charnley delivers bad news for January transfer window

By Durim Halimi

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - MAY 07: Mike Ashley, owner of Newcastle United and Lee Charnley, managing director of Newcastle United both look on from the stands during the Sky Bet Championship match between Newcastle United and Barnsley at St James' Park on May 7, 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - MAY 07: Mike Ashley, owner of Newcastle United and Lee Charnley, managing director of Newcastle United both look on from the stands during the Sky Bet Championship match between Newcastle United and Barnsley at St James' Park on May 7, 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Lee Charnley and Rafa Benitez met earlier this week and the Spaniard left the meeting disappointed.

Newcastle United are in dire need of some new players who can maintain the club’s Premier League status this season and make them more competitive next term. Newcastle have been linked to multiple players, with Miguel Almiron being the most notable of them all, but signing prospective targets will be difficult.

In a recent interview, Rafa Benitez shed some light on his transfer window discussion with Lee Charnley earlier this week and now the Spaniard is pessimistic about getting deals done next month. Benitez was straightforward when asked about the meeting by saying, “Yes, I was talking with Lee Charnley and still I have the same feeling: that it will not be easy.”

No Early Deals in January

Benitez has been pleading with the front office to finalize deals in the opening days of the January transfer window, but it looks like that will not happen. The Magpies are struggling for points and the only reason why they are not in the bottom three is because Huddersfield Town, Fulham and Burnley are so bad.

Newcastle have been lucky thus far, but they cannot achieve Top Flight survival by hoping other teams continue to struggle. Newcastle must, at all costs, step up their game in the transfer window to bring in some players who can help turn things around to secure a mid-table finish this season.

Not sealing deals early on will significantly hurt Newcastle in multiple ways. For starters, if Newcastle wait too long to make an offer for Almiron, you can bet all your money that Arsenal or West Ham will try to swoop him up in the first week of January. Moreover, if Newcastle miss out on signing such a quality player with plenty of potential because of Mike Ashley’s hesitation to break the bank, you can, once again, bet all your money that Benitez will walk away from the club in May.

Next. 3 things we learned against Liverpool. dark

It remains to be seen what will happen over the next few weeks, but Benitez is desperate, and rightfully so, for new talent to walk through the doors of St. James’ Park immediately. With 19 games left on the schedule, the Magpies still have a long relegation battle ahead of them, but new talent could see the Toon breathe a sigh of relief in March instead of May.