Newcastle United could all but secure their Premier League status ahead of next season with wins against Leicester City and Crystal Palace. The Magpies will host the two sides at St James' Park in the space of four days and know six points from both those fixtures would guarantee survival.
Eddie Howe's side are currently ten points clear of the bottom three but could in theory, be 16 points clear with just five games to play. Depending on how Burnley fare against West Ham and Southampton, the Magpies could be mathematically safe from the drop come their trip to Norwich City.
The trip to Carrow Road looked like a must win fixture at the turn of the year, with Newcastle still rooted in a relegation battle. A remarkable nine game unbeaten run, including wins over relegation rivals Leeds United and Everton, set the Toon on their way.
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Failure to win in the next three could however, leave Newcastle looking over their shoulders ahead of facing Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal before a final trip of the season to Burnley. The Toon will be hoping their Premier League status is wrapped up well before their trip to Turf Moor and attention can switch to new signings.
The curtain closing on the January transfer window, was one Newcastle supporters hoped would not come, having seen moves for Diego Carlos, Sven Botman, Jesse Lingard and Hugo Ekitike fall through. With the Magpies locked in a relegation battle, there were still fears over their short-term Premier League status.
However, Newcastle could now be safe with five games of the season still to play and can truly turn their mind to next season. The remaining Premier League fixtures can prove an audition for a number of players to prove they can still play a part in the Magpies' long-term success.
In truth, Howe will already have made his mind up. If Newcastle are able to secure their Premier League status with five games to go it will be a remarkable achievement.
After the worst start to a Premier League season in their history, they will have defied the odds and the bookmakers who had them as favourites to go down. The summer transfer window will prove a different prospect entirely.
Newcastle will be considered a different animal come the start of next season, and although the jury will still be out in regard to Howe's transfer business - given Bournemouth spent a substantial amount on transfers but still went down - you cannot knock the first window the 44-year-old has had at St. James' Park.
Alongside Steve Nickson, Newcastle's head of recruitment, the Magpies brought in the right characters to steer them towards survival and it bodes well for the window ahead. Of course, they won't be transformed into title contenders over the summer, nor will they find themselves playing Champions League football the year after that, but there's plenty of hope on Tyneside.
The delay in appointing Dan Ashworth as sporting director has seen reports surface that Howe will be in charge of transfers once again in the summer. If it's as good as the recent window there can be no complaints, but expectations will be different next year.
Statement signings like Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes have paved the way for more to follow and Newcastle will prove an attractive proposition for plenty of players. Sure, they won't be bringing in the likes of Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland but the Toon Army are hoping summer's acquisitions are able to lift them to the next level.
Before any of that can happen, they need Premier League survival.
