There is no questioning that Newcastle United have undergone a bit of a transformation since the arrival of Eddie Howe as manager. Not too long ago, they were looking certain to drop down into the Championship at the end of the season. Now, they sit at a comfortable 14th in the Premier League table and could even end up finishing in the top 10, depending on how the rest of the results go from here on.
One of the biggest reasons behind Newcastle United’s turnaround in form under Howe has been the additions that the club made in the January transfer window.
Several of them appear to have made their presence felt already, both on and off the pitch, and Newcastle United are clearly reaping the benefits of that.
Newcastle United captain, Jamaal Lascelles, believes that Howe made a smart decision by going after players who are leaders in the dressing room. As reported by the Daily Mail, he said:
"‘You look at the bigger teams back in the day, like at Man United, they’d have a group of players, lieutenants. I think we’ve got that now, a leadership group.‘The new players have added to what was already here. The manager was smart about that. He went for players who are good in the dressing-room. Leaders.‘Chris Wood, a great guy off the pitch. Kieran Tripper, leader. Dan Burn, leader. Matt Targett, you’re talking well-established players.‘And then you’ve got Bruno, who has got the quality and has mixed with the South American boys. The manager knows exactly what he’s doing. The shift in mentality is down to him.’"
Howe has made a very smart move with his signings for Newcastle United in January
It goes without saying that the January arrivals have had the impact that Newcastle United must have been hoping for when they signed them.
Yes, not on all of them might be putting incredible performances on the pitch. Chris Wood is an example of that. But at the same time, the overall impact on the performances and the results have been exceptional.
Howe deserves immense credit for that as well. Not many would have expected the club to make the signings that they did and it is safe to say that a lot of eyebrows were raised as well. But things have fallen into place pretty well and there is a potential that Newcastle United might end up finishing in the top half of the Premier League table this season, something that not even the most positive fan could have hoped a few months ago.