Newcastle have been urged by club legend Alan Shearer to make signings in the upcoming transfer window, with special emphasis on Manchester United target Viktor Gyokeres.
The Magpies currently sit 11th in the league table, with 4 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats, just four points behind 3rd placed Nottingham Forest and 4th placed Chelsea who are level on points with Arsenal, and Aston Villa.
They had a fantastic week, with a 2-0 win over Chelsea in the League Cup followed by a 1-0 win over Arsenal in the league.
They play Nottingham Forest next and a win against them would further reduce the gap between them and top 4.
Shearer identifies three positions for Newcastle to bolster
However, Shearer feels that the club needs to make some signings in the January window in order to further boost their chances of fighting for the Champions League spots.
During a Q&A via The Athletic, Shearer identified the three positions Newcastle should bolster in the January transfer window. He said:
“I would definitely be targeting a centre-forward, a right-sided forward and probably a centre-half.”
“I think Newcastle are pretty much covered in most other areas, especially at full-back, so those are the three priority positions. Forwards are more important, I guess (I would say that, obviously!).”
“There’s Viktor Gyokeres smashing goals in left, right and centre at Sporting Lisbon.”
“Manchester United may be getting Ruben Amorim, but he says he won’t be signing players from his former club in January. You have to target the best and he is the best option at the moment. You’d certainly have to enquire.”
Viktor Gyokeres has been on phenomenal goalscoring form
Gyokeres would be an incredible signing if the Magpies can secure his signature. He will be available for around £63m and would be the ideal replacement for Alexander Isak, if the Swede is to leave amid his uncertain future at the club.
The Sporting star has scored 23 goals and assisted 4 in 17 games so far this season, including a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League earlier this week. In 67 games for the Portuguese giants, he has scored 66 and assisted 19. (Transfermarkt)
While Newcastle will need to be cautious in their spending so that they don’t break the Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules, they can still significantly bolster their squad.
They were prepared to spend big to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi in the summer, but Palace rejected all their four bids, the latest being worth £65m. This indicates that there is money they can spend in the upcoming window.
There are other attackers they have been linked with recently including West Ham star Jarrod Bowen, with reports suggesting that the club are .