PIF enjoyed their first transfer window since taking over at Newcastle as they made a number of signings in January to bolster Eddie Howe's team.

The Saudi Arabian consortium splashed the way to bring in a wave of fresh recruits to improve the club's chances of securing Premier League survival.

Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Matt Targett and Chris Wood all came through the door with the club sat in the bottom three at the start of the month.

Their arrivals, coupled with improvements from players who were already at the club, led the team to a nine-game unbeaten run recently. This sublime sequence of results shot them up the table and Howe's men currently sit nine points clear of the relegation zone as it stands.

One January signing, in particular, the club played a blinder with was central defender Burn as they brought him in from Brighton for £13m.

Magpies reporter Ciaran Kelly dubbed him a "colossus" and ex-Premier League striker Frank McAvennie sang the club's praises over the deal, saying: 

“£13million or whatever it was is an absolute steal from Newcastle. To go at that price, unless his contract is up, which it isn’t, I don’t know how they got him at that price.

“There are a lot of younger lads at Newcastle so they need an experienced head in there.

“That’s what Burn has given them. He looks a confident boy, which is great for the boys around the training ground."

'An absolute steal' is exactly what Newcastle pulled off based on his performances for the Toon so far as he has been immense at the back.

As you can see in the graphic above, his market value has doubled since he arrived in January three months ago, from £3.15m to £6.30m - as per Transfermarkt.

This is down to his excellent displays on the pitch in the Premier League. He has started eight top-flight matches for the club and helped them to win four of those.

In those eight games, he won 32 aerial duels and eight tackles, whilst also making 11 interceptions, nine blocks and 46 clearances. He averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.92 as he has been able to showcase his defensive quality in black and white.

The former Brighton man has been a steal of a signing, as the statistics on the pitch and off it with his market value show, and looks set to be a big reason behind the club's revival in the Premier League, which will save them far more than the £13m they spent. His stoic defending has helped them rise above the bottom three and PIF deserve credit for snapping him up in the winter window to lead Howe's backline.

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