As it turned out, the January transfer window was as quiet for Newcastle United as it was for many other clubs.
Financial Fair Play clearly had an effect on whether money was going to be spent, and it appeared that most clubs took the view to err on the side of caution.
There were a couple of rumours involving Newcastle players in the first month of the year, with Kieran Trippier potentially moving to Bayern Munich and Miguel Almiron apparently the subject of a bid from Saudi Arabia.
As it turned out, neither player made the switch, and in Almiron’s case, it was because the player himself vetoed the deal.
“Miguel Almirón stopped the possibility from the start,” said journalist, Christian Martin in an interview with Versus (h/t Sport Witness).
“’If it’s for me, I’ll stay,’ Miguel told Newcastle. The first offer of £17m was rejected. There was no agreement with the club and Miguel lowered his thumb, he wanted to stay at Newcastle.”
It’s believed that Newcastle were open to a sale as it would’ve lightened the load in terms of FFP.
That’s likely to be the reason behind an expected player reshuffle at St. James’ Park in the summer, which must be an incredible source of frustration for the owners, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Eddie Howe.
Whomever comes or goes, it will be down to the expertise of Howe, sporting director Dan Ashworth and others to ensure that the squad remains strong and balanced.