A big Newcastle United transfer update has emerged, regarding the club's transfer targets ahead of the January window opening...

What's the talk?

Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope has revealed that the Magpies are set to appoint a transfer advisor to lend a helping hand to Eddie Howe in their dealings.

Hope has also claimed that a meeting has taken place ahead of next month, with Lloyd Kelly, Matthias Ginter, Joe Rodon, Mohamed Elneny and Sven Botman all said to be players the ex-Bournemouth coach wants to sign.

He Tweeted: "NUFC hire specialist recruitment firm Nolan Partners to find new director of football, with club now set to appoint short-term transfer advisor ahead of January window."

Hope added: "Transfer meeting has taken place & we understand targets include Lloyd Kelly, the Bournemouth defender who Eddie Howe signed in 2019. Germany centre-back Matthias Ginter, Joe Rodon of Spurs & Lille’s Sven Botman mentioned. Also told Mohamed Elneny is a midfield option."

Delight

Newcastle fans will surely be delighted with this update from Hope for several reasons. Firstly, the scheduled appointment of a transfer advisor shows that the board want to bring in a knowledgeable operator who will be able to come in and help Howe, which could improve their chances of landing key targets.

Supporters will be happy with this as it means that the club are laying the groundwork ahead of the window by making key appointments to ensure they do not have an unsuccessful month in terms of incomings. With the club currently in the relegation zone, January could be a crucial period to add to the squad in order to avoid relegation and these moves by PIF will help them to bring the best possible players in.

Secondly, fans will be delighted by the apparent focus on bolstering the defence. Four of the five targets named by Hope are central defenders, with the other being a defensive midfielder, and it is easy to see why when looking at the defensive statistics this season.

Only Norwich (31) have conceded more goals than Newcastle (30) and the Magpies have only kept one clean sheet all season.

This shows that there needs to be a change at the back if Howe wants to guide the team to safety, which is why there will be excitement in the stands if significant work is done in the transfer market to improve the quality in the defence.

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