Eddie Howe admitted Newcastle United “have a very small squad” following on from the humiliating FA Cup exit at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.
However, that ‘very small’ squad would get significantly smaller if Magpies fans got their way in the transfer window.
Asked to have their say on whether Newcastle should keep or sell nine fringe players via our Keep Or Sell tool, supporters only opted to retain the services of three of them.
Allan Saint-Maximin, despite an injury and illness-disrupted campaign, can still count on the backing of the Toon Army, with 82% wanting Newcastle to hang on to the mercurial left-winger. The Frenchman's future has been the subject of much debate, and he missed the FA Cup defeat with illness, but remains a popular figure with fans.
READ MORE: 6 Newcastle United stars who blew their big opportunity vs Sheffield Wednesday
The future of keeper Loris Karius is rather more uncertain following the return of Martin Dubravka, but 62% of respondents said they would keep the former Liverpool No.1. Presumably you can never have enough goalkeepers.
Winger Jacob Murphy is also worth keeping, according to 55% of those who voted, despite only having started five of Newcastle’s Premier League fixtures this term.
Chris Wood is the most high profile of the players fans would opt to jettison, with 55% choosing to sell the forward in January. There’s no truth in the rumour that the sell percentage only stood at 5% before his shocking miss against the Owls, however. Leeds have been strongly linked with their former striker.
It is also time to get rid of Jonjo Shelvey according to the Magpies faithful. Shelvey has racked up only 34 minutes of Premier League action this term after having the opening months of the season disrupted by a hamstring injury. He failed to make the squad for the last three league outings after picking up a calf problem that could see him sidelined until March, and 58% of fans believe now is the time to bid farewell to the 30-year-old, who is just a couple of games short of triggering a new contract via an appearance clause in his contract which expires this summer.
The squad trimming should extend to right-back Javier Manquillo (68%), club captain Jamaal Lascelles (67%) and Jamal Lewis (65%). The trio all started the Hillsborough horror show but their time should be up, according to supporters.
And there is good news for Brentford and Southampton in their pursuit of Ryan Fraser. Nearly 78% of Newcastle fans believe the club should cash in on the 28-year-old in the January window, after he has fallen down the pecking order under Howe.
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