Newcastle United refused option to sign free agent former Premier League defender this month
Newcastle United have been expected to look at adding reinforcements to their defensive options this month, particularly due to the number of injuries the squad has sustained in that area.
Dan Burn has returned to fitness and looked very solid last night in Paris, but it looks like Jamaal Lascelles' time at the club is coming to an end and Emil Krafth could join him.
Kieran Trippier is out of contract in the summer, and at 35, the club have a big decision to make.
While some of these situations may not play out until the summer, there was still a strong feeling that the Magpies would look to add new faces this month while they had the chance, but that now looks unlikely.
Newcastle refused an offer to sign Kurt Zouma this month
Eddie Howe was adamant going into the window that the club wouldn't sign players just for the sake of it, and that has certainly been the case.
As confirmed by The Daily Mail, Newcastle were offered the chance to sign former West Ham cat kicker Kurt Zouma this month as a free agent but passed up on the opportunity.
As a cat person, I am very happy with the club's decision to turn down that offer, not just for the safety of North East felines, but also because he's just not that good.
We're confident now that Newcastle will do no business this month
In his article, Craig Hope says Newcastle are still looking for the right player and are still willing to spend up to £25 million if they find the right defender, so there is a small chance there could be some activity before Monday's 7 pm deadline.
Our feeling is that we'll keep our powder dry and look to go big in the summer when the market is more stable.
We also expect that Newcastle's reluctance to buy this month will also mean they'll not be very likely to sell either, instead waiting until the summer to clear out a few players. There are a few contracts up at the end of the season, and we don't expect to see many renewals. Kieran Trippier being a coin toss at this point.
