Howe excited about ‘season-definitive’ January, outlines transfer window expectations

Eddie Howe believes January will be “season-defining” for Newcastle but he does not expect his team to be strengthened by a significant arrival.

Newcastle enters 2026 in 13th place in the Premier Leagueit’s not a position a discerning fan base would have expected given the money provided to Howe by the club’s Saudi owners over the past two years.

They play nine games in January, including the EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester City and Champions League clashes with PSV Eindhoven and Paris Saint-Germain.

Howe said: “January will be a defining month for our season and you look at the month as a whole. I think there are some big games for us, some tempting chances, but we have some tough challenges ahead and it certainly has to be a successful start to the month for us.”

Their opening challenge is a home match with a Crystal Palace team which has hit the buffers in recent weeks as it attempts to balance its domestic and European commitments.

“Any home game for us is positive,” Howe added. “We like to play at home. Needless to say, we’ve been very good at home for a long time, so we’d rather play there than anywhere else. I think travel, especially during a busy schedule, the more you can minimize that, then it’s beneficial for us.”

Howe admits big arrival unlikely

Newcastle spent almost £250million over the summer on Anthony Elanga, Jacob Ramsey, Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa and while that was partly offset by the sale of Alexander Isak, it doesn’t appear they have significantly improved as a team.

Asked if they were looking to make another major signing in the January window, Howe replied: “Brand signing, I guess you’re talking about big financial outlays, I don’t think that’s the desire this month for various reasons because I don’t think it’s necessarily a good month to make that kind of signing.

“Any signings we make in this window will limit our ability to do business this summer, so I think we need to be very careful and make the right decisions for here, now and for the future.

“We’re still in this position where the PSR will influence every decision we make, which is why we have to be really smart.

“I don’t think that’s necessarily the wish this month, but I think our injury situation, to some extent, will impact what we do and don’t do.”

The full-backs close to a return

Howe says right-backs Kieran Trippier and Tino Livramento are set to return, with Lewis Miley continuing to impress while filling in for the makeshift defender.

He said: “We have a few days of training but Tino and Kieran have been working really well. They have had proper recovery periods so they are both close.

“Lewis Miley, I have said time and time again how well he has done in a position he has never played in before, again against Burnley I thought he was magnificent for us but we would like our full backs to be fit and available and strengthen the team in terms of numbers.

“We’ve been very thin on the field in terms of defenders, so it’s going to be a big area.”