Jermaine Jenas has urged former club Newcastle United to target a January move for either Harvey Barnes or James Maddison. The ex-Magpies midfielder feels Eddie Howe needs to strengthen his attacking options and believes either one of the Leicester City duo would fit the bill.
Newcastle have spent in excess of £200 million this year, and now find themselves in an unlikely top-four spot just a year on from being considered favourites for relegation. United have lost just once so far this campaign, and talk is mounting over qualifying for Europe next term.
A near-perfect run of form in October has seemingly catapulted Newcastle into the top-four race, although Jenas feels they will 'fall short' when it comes to earning a spot in next season's Champions League. The Magpies had two bids rejected for Maddison in the summer, and the BBC Sport pundit believes a renewed approach for the playmaker or a move for his Foxes team-mate should be on the cards.
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Jenas told William Hill: “I think for Newcastle to finish in the top four they’ve got to have a good splurge in January. But I think they’ve got a chance, I really do. There’s no doubt about it, they’re going to go all the way this season and push the Premier League’s big clubs. Their defence has looked absolutely solid and they’ve been scoring goals at will at the moment, so there’s a lot to like about how they’re playing.
“Whether they do finish in the top four come May, it’s a tough one, they’re going to be very close. A lot will depend on how Manchester United, Spurs and Chelsea do.
"And Liverpool, no matter what’s happened so far this season, they’re going to be a part of the conversation for the top four come the end of it. It’s about which team will have that longevity and consistency and at the minute this is the first time in a long time where Newcastle are in the situation where they can go on long winning runs.”
“But they do need to strengthen those wider area. In the areas where Miguel Almiron – as well as he’s playing – or Allan Saint-Maximin play. All teams can be improved.
"There’s a couple of players at Leicester that can improve them – James Maddison or Harvey Barnes. I would like to see Newcastle move for one of them. they would certainly improve the club.
“What they need is depth. When you start going back to the likes of Chris Wood or Jamaal Lascelles you start to fall back to type. But if they can just add a little bit more depth to what they’ve already got… I’m not saying go and sign Neymar or a big superstar, I think that just derails things if you do it too quickly. And with Eddie Howe and his methods and how he likes to play, the best thing about Newcastle is they’re a team and doing it as a unit, so he has to find those players that will fit in as a part of that.”
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