As the January transfer window approaches, Newcastle United are staring at another demanding period in the market, with Eddie Howe, Ross Wilson and the recruitment staff under pressure to strengthen a squad that looks short on both quality and variety.
The need for reinforcements has become more urgent in recent weeks, especially with injuries piling up and exposing how thin certain areas of the team really are.
The current injury list has only highlighted the issue. Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Sven Botman are all sidelined, forcing Newcastle to reshuffle at the back and stretch options that were already limited. Even in positions where the numbers look healthy on paper, the lack of specific player profiles is becoming obvious.
Midfield is a good example. There are bodies available, but not the type of player who can unlock a tight game or bring creativity between the lines.
What Newcastle are missing most is a sharp, technically gifted attacking midfielder. Someone comfortable in tight spaces, able to receive on the half-turn and create chances where none seem possible.
Joelinton and Sandro Tonali bring power, intensity and work rate, but neither is a natural playmaker. When teams sit deep, Newcastle often look short of ideas, recycling possession without truly threatening the opposition.
Over the summer, the club spent heavily to address midfield options, paying around £42 million to bring Jacob Ramsey in from Aston Villa. So far, that investment has not delivered the impact many expected.
Ramsey has struggled to cement a regular place in the side and has barely featured in recent weeks, raising questions about whether the money could have been better spent elsewhere.
Those questions have grown louder after comments from a Bundesliga-based midfielder who has revealed that Newcastle were interested in signing him before ultimately walking away from a deal.
Bilal El Khannouss, currently impressing in Germany after a complicated exit from Leicester City, has spoken openly about how close he came to a Premier League move last summer.
The 21-year-old Moroccan playmaker explained that staying in England was his priority following Leicester’s relegation. Newcastle and Crystal Palace both expressed interest and explored potential deals.
Crucially, El Khannouss had a release clause in his contract, reportedly set at £30 million, a figure well within reach for clubs operating at Newcastle’s level.
Despite this, El Khannouss says neither Newcastle nor Palace were willing to trigger that clause. He admitted his surprise, especially given how advanced some of the discussions had become.
In the end, a deal could not be reached, and he instead found himself moving to Germany, where he has wasted little time in showing his quality.
So far this season, El Khannouss has delivered six goals and four assists, underlining why he was so highly rated and why he felt ready to test himself in a stronger league.
While he has spoken positively about his current situation, there is no hiding the frustration he felt during the summer, when a move he believed made sense for all parties failed to materialise.
With hindsight, it is difficult not to see this as a missed opportunity for Newcastle. At a time when the squad lacked exactly the type of creative midfielder El Khannouss represents, the club chose not to pay £30 million, only to spend £12 million more on Ramsey. That decision now looks questionable, especially given the different profiles of the two players.
Ramsey is a talented midfielder, but he is not a specialist creator. His game is built around driving runs, energy and supporting play rather than operating as a classic number ten.
In the current Newcastle setup, that has left him competing with several similar options, and as things stand, he appears to be no higher than sixth in the midfield pecking order.
In the limited minutes he has played, Ramsey has struggled to make a strong impression. Over more than 450 minutes of football, his influence has been modest, and he has not provided the spark many hoped for.
Meanwhile, Joe Willock, who has been linked with a possible January exit, seems to have moved ahead of him in Eddie Howe’s thinking.
This has inevitably led to questions about the club’s recruitment strategy. Paying a premium for a player who does not address a clear tactical need feels like a gamble that has not paid off, at least not yet.
While Ramsey still has time to prove his worth, Newcastle needed immediate impact and variety, not another midfielder with a similar skill set to those already at the club.
It is fair to say that El Khannouss might not have walked straight into the starting lineup either. However, his technical ability, creativity and comfort in tight spaces would have given Newcastle something different.
Against teams that sit deep and deny space, that difference can be crucial. Right now, Newcastle lack that option, and it shows in their performances.
As January approaches, the club must reflect on these decisions. Missing out on a £30 million release clause for a player now thriving elsewhere, while spending significantly more on a signing who cannot break into the team, is the kind of situation Newcastle can ill afford to repeat.
The next window offers a chance to correct course, but only if lessons are learned and recruitment is driven by clear needs rather than familiar names.
