The Magpies have spent heavily in a bid to improve their squad, and whilst the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum and Jonjo Shelvey have shown glimpses of their quality, Florian Thauvin has been an unmitigated disaster since his move from Marseille.
Newcaslte's transfer policy has largely revolved around bringing in young European players with potential rather than players with English experience, though moves for Shelvey and Andros Townsend in January suggested that a change of approach could arrive.
The Chronicle noted that former boss Steve McClaren actually wanted to re-sign Kevin Nolan.
McClaren, who lost his job earlier this month, is believe to have wanted more Premier League experience in his ranks, and wanted Nolan to make a shock return to St. James' Park, having been released by West Ham back in August.
The 33-year-old - now manager of Leyton Orient since January - spent two-and-a-half years on Tyneside having arrived from Bolton Wanderers in January 2009.
With 30 goals in 91 games, Nolan was a prolific goalscoring midfielder, but it was clear towards the end of his career at West Ham that he was coming to the end of his career in the Premier League, and it seems unlikely that he would have been a real help to Newcastle this season.