As long as Newcastle can hang onto the coat-tails of the teams just above them for the next few weeks, there’s every chance they can haul themselves to safety if they buy well in the January transfer window.
In order for Eddie Howe to have the best chance of getting the Magpies up into mid-table at best, then the club need to back the choice of players he makes to suit his system, whatever the cost.
Though it’s believed that Newcastle are now the richest football club in the world, it won’t necessarily follow that Amanda Staveley and her fellow directors will throw money around willy-nilly.
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One player that’s on a targeted list is Atletico Madrid’s England international right-back, Kieran Trippier.
At 31 years of age, the former Tottenham man certainly has the requisite experience, but as the Northern Echo report, he will cost the Magpies £25m – the second highest fee they’ll have ever paid for a player.
If the club are willing to sanction the spend and Trippier is willing to come, he could be the first big-name that will entice others to follow.