Chris Waugh shares the big indicator that Newcastle will now not bring in a free agent

The summer transfer window closed just over fortnight ago and while Newcastle United's business was derided by fans, there was still a possibility that the Magpies could swoop for a free agent to bolster the ranks.

Indeed, Newcastle were heavily linked with a move for France midfielder Adrien Rabiot who is still without a club after leaving Juventus in the summer.

Manchester United and Newcastle reportedly looked at a deal for the World Cup finalist but ultimately decided his demands were too great and no move was made.

Meanwhile, we suggested that Newcastle should take a look at former Liverpool defender Joel Matip as a short-term solution in defence after missing out on Marc Guehi and having Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles out of action until December.

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Newcastle have submitted their 25-man squad now

We clearly weren't alone in thinking about Joel Matip as one fan asked Chris Waugh during his Q&A for The Athletic if Newcastle would look at a deal to get them through.

However, Waugh rightly pointed out a big indicator of why that was unlikely to happen now.

"Newcastle have named their full 25-man senior squad for the first half of the Premier League season. So, even if they did sign a free agent, that player would be ineligible until January.

"I am unaware of Newcastle actively looking to bring in a free agent in the short term anyway. Matip is someone they watched while he was at Schalke (2009-16) but, at 33, such an addition feels unlikely. With Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles on course to return before January, a centre-back is unlikely to be quite as pressing a target by then, anyway.

"However, Newcastle are still looking to bring in a right-sided centre-half and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi remains of keen interest. Newcastle are more likely to return for Guehi, or move for another of their long-term centre-back targets, rather than turn to a short-term fix like Matip."

Newcastle have a good squad of players it's just a very thin squad

With the 25-man squad submitted that's put an end to any idea of signing a free agent unless there's one out there under the age of 21 that catches their eye as U21s don't need to be registered as part of the squad.

If James Bunce's new ideas and systems do their job and cut down the amount of injuries picked up by the squad then Eddie Howe has a good group of players to pick from.

It's just that the squad is razer thin and a couple of injuries can be devastating as we learned last season. So another player or two would have been very handy, but the fact that we didn't get anyone else in isn't as bad as it felt on deadline day.