The Magpies have been rocked by a winter injury crisis and Toon chiefs have offered Eddie Howe their backing
09:53, 17 Dec 2025Updated 09:53, 17 Dec 2025
William Osula could leave Newcastle in January(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Newcastle United chiefs are ready to back Eddie Howe in the January transfer window with the Magpies enduring an injury crisis heading into the festive period.
With Sven Botman’s back injury concerning backroom staff members and Dan Burn out for up to six weeks, Newcastle are down to the bare bones in terms of centre-backs. Injuries to Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth, William Osula, Nick Pope and Jamaal Lascelles in recent weeks have also left United short-handed, although the club captain and the England goalie are close to a return.
As sporting director Ross Wilson begins his first January window, ChronicleLive understands that PIF are ready to inject fresh funds to beef up the squad for the second half of the campaign. And while there is an understanding that major surgery is not required, key areas will be looked at in the next few days as Newcastle get ready to whittle down a transfer short-list.
READ MORE: Dan Burn health latest as Newcastle United get update on recovery timeframe
OPINION
Sean McCormick
As we reported on Monday, Howe retains healthy backing from the powers that be and Wilson, CEO David Hopkinson and PIF see the remedy to the club’s poor league position as a collective effort to get back up the table soon. That said, victory in the Carabao Cup tonight against Fulham is seen as vital to lift spirits, and at the training ground, Howe has held meetings with players to demand “a response” from everybody this evening.
PIF spent over £200m in the summer but will now provide backing to bring in a new centre-back, full-back cover, and potentially another forward. Wilson played down talk of a transfer splurge again in January but Newcastle could have the backing to sign a couple of stars with funds of £100m potentially available to Howe along with some wheeling and dealing to make ends meet.
One such sale could be Osula, who was linked with Bayer Leverkusen and Frankfurt in the summer, and could be available for £20m as his representatives consider winter moves. Newcastle were open to Osula’s sale in the summer and if the price is right will sell the Denmark U21 star if he gets the promise of first-team football he is looking for.
When asked about January earlier this month, Wilson had said to reporters: “What we’ve talked about is what the thoughts are about the squad right now.
“Where’s his head at with the squad we’ve already got? How does that look? How does he feel about that, the shape, the size of it? Individuals? That’s what we’ve spoken about up to now.
“The scouting work is always ongoing. So, the guys are doing loads of work with that all the time. Can we spend in January? Yes.
“If we want to, we can. I think it’s fairly obvious to everybody given the level of club spend in the summer that we’re not going to do that again in the winter window as well, for a variety of reasons. But if we want to spend, we can.”
Howe knows that PIF are keen on signing younger stars, but by the same token if a the right deal comes along for a senior ace, Newcastle staff know they can make a case to the powers that be. That has been the case with 25-year-old England star Marc Guéhi in recent windows
A transfer battle for Guéhi is about to commence again in January with Liverpool and Man City thought to be keen while overseas suitors such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich are interested in talks for a pre-contract agreement.
Suggestions at the Crystal Palace end say a £35m fee could be available for the England star. Newcastle have never shut the door on the centre-back and with so many defensive issues he could come back in the reckoning.