Newcastle Drawing Up List of January Reinforcements to Strengthen Steve Bruces Survival Bid

Newcastle United are reportedly drawing up a list of potential January additions to Steve Bruce's squad, with midfield and attacking options the priority.

A summer of upheaval at St James Park didn't exactly result in the most coherent summer transfer plan - it was more scatter gun than strategy after Rafa Benitez's departure - so it's no surprise the hierarchy are planning ahead for the winter window.  

Mike Ashley's willingness to put his hand in his pocket has long been a bone of contention for Magpies fans, so does this rumoured January spree mean the loosening of the purse strings? 

Not exactly, no. The only name reported by the ​Evening Chronicle is Championship striker Jarrod Bowen, with the caveat of whether Newcastle would be prepared to stump up the £20m wanted by ​Hull City.

It was also reported that they might invest the remainder of their summer budget in youth, which won't help with the short-term battle for Premier League survival. Their relatively poor start has left them facing the genuine prospect of relegation in 2019/20.

So on the surface, it seems the ​Newcastle transfer policy remains the same as it's always been, buy low and sell high - despite recent transfer-record-breaking additions of Miguel Almiron and Joelinton. 

Sceptical Newcastle fans would probably tell you Ashley already has visions of those two players recouping greater transfer fees when they are inevitably sold to bigger ​Premier League clubs, anyway. 

Each transfer window is usually accompanied by rumours of a Peter Kenyon fronted takeover that might lead to investment and they reared their head like clockwork in the past week -  another depressing dose of deja vu for the St James' faithful. 

While the talk of January signings might seem positive, digging a little deeper highlights the same old problems are bubbling under the surface at Newcastle.