Newcastle United to receive huge January boost as Premier League rivals prepare to lose key stars

Newcastle United to receive huge January boost as Premier League rivals prepare to lose key stars

Newcastle United will keep their entire squad together in January while their Premier League rivals say goodbye to key men

The January transfer window is fast approaching and Newcastle United will no doubt be scouring the market for available talent. However, even if the Magpies opt to keep their powder dry next month, they may still have an upper hand on their Premier League rivals who are preparing to say goodbye to key players, albeit temporarily.

Both the African Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup get under way in the middle of January, with some of Newcastle’s closest competitors losing senior men at a crucial point in the campaign. Eddie Howe thankfully won’t lose any player to either competition.

Only Newcastle and Manchester City will keep their entire Premier League squad together, while sides like Nottingham Forest and Wolves will lose six and four players respectively.

For Newcastle’s European-chasing rivals, the damage varies. Arsenal, for example, will wave goodbye to Mohamed Elneny (Egypt), Thomas Partey (Ghana) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (Japan). Manchester United will also lose three: Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast) and Andre Onana (Cameroon).

Tottenham will lose three in Yves Bissouma (Mali), Son Heung-min (South Korea) and Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal). Meanwhile, Liverpool may have the biggest loss of all as they send Mohamed Salah (Egypt) to AFCON, as well as Wataru Endo (Japan) to the Asian Cup.

Chelsea will lose striker Nicholas Jackson (Senegal), while Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso) of Aston Villa will also depart. West Ham will lose two, along with Brighton, while Brentford will be without four as the tournaments get under way.

Not only will Newcastle keep their first-team squad on Tyneside, they’re also hopeful of welcoming some key stars back into the fold in the coming weeks. Joelinton could be involved at Liverpool on New Year’s Day, while Jamaal Lascelles’ muscle issue isn’t thought to be serious.

Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes continue to step up their work behind the scenes, while Elliot Anderson could also return before the end of January. To add, Newcastle’s fixture list looks refreshingly quiet after a hectic period.

The Magpies will play Liverpool, Sunderland, Manchester City and Aston Villa in the first month of 2024 after previously playing 10 games in 30 days.