Whatever happens in January, there is at least one piece of business that Eddie Howe will hope to get done in the coming weeks - extending Loris Karius' contract. The former Liverpool goalkeeper joined the Magpies on a short-term deal back in September and has impressed club staff with his conduct behind the scenes and performances in training.
Newcastle supporters got their first glimpse of those qualities during the visitors' 5-0 win against Al Hilal on Thursday night. It may have only been a friendly, of course, but Karius was among those who caught the eye at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. As well as distributing the ball effectively, Karius made a number of saves, including a finger-tip stop to keep out Andre Carrillo's goalbound effort, before the 'keeper went off at half-time in Riyadh.
You would not have thought it was Karius' first game in nearly two years or, indeed, this was the same player who looked a broken man after the 2018 Champions League final. Karius left the field in tears that night after being at fault for Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale's goals in Real Madrid's 3-1 win against Liverpool.
READ MORE: Newcastle owners may have got glimpse of future and angry player reactions Eddie Howe will love
Although Karius was later found to have suffered a concussion during the game, that night, understandably, had a devastating effect. In fact, agent Corey Anton revealed that Karius even enlisted the help of a mental coach in a bid to get his career back on track.
"Loris works a lot on his mental situation," Anton told ChronicleLive. "Not to forget about it, but to put a check on that situation that happened a few years ago is quite hard.
"You have to work on it. You have to accept it and make clear that you want to kickstart your career from that point because that's in the past. You can't change it. You're still responsible but you can't make it unhappen.
"He worked a lot on his mental situation and he's a mentality monster. He's super confident. He knows his own value but he also knows he has to prove that because a lot of people, when they think of Loris Karius, they think about the Champions League final. Now he is strong enough, combined with the physical situation, to prove he is capable and able to perform at a top level."
Karius would dearly love to have the chance to prove just that in a cup game for Newcastle one day, but the 29-year-old will continue to push his fellow goalkeepers in the meantime. That team-first mentality, coupled with Karius' Premier League experience, was one of the main reasons why Howe wanted to sign the free agent after Karl Darlow suffered an ankle injury earlier this season.
It may have only been a deal until January, initially, but Howe was wary of upsetting the dressing room with the wrong sort of character when he looked to bring in a new back-up. However, there was no danger of that with Karius as his time at Union Berlin proved.
Karius was previously unable to dislodge veteran Andreas Luthe while on loan at the Bundesliga side, where he made his last competitive appearance, but rather than sulking, the loanee supported his fellow shot-stopper. Goalkeeping coach Michael Gspurning recalled Karius 'motivating the other guys in the gym to work hard' and the Austrian has no doubt that he has been doing the same at Newcastle.
"Loris came to Newcastle after the transfer window closed but maybe the role is clearer for him," he told ChronicleLive. "This will help and he will help the team in the locker room, of course.
"He looks after himself and he can give a lot to younger team-mates because he can be a role model with his experience. He will bring his motivation on the pitch and push the others. He's a good guy and his team-mates liked him very much and spent time with him outside of the pitch."
Howe has already highlighted that 'positive influence' behind the scenes himself. It did not go unnoticed, for example, how Karius even joined in with the outfield players' warm-up at half-time when he made his first match day squad for Newcastle against Bournemouth - which is practically unheard of for a goalkeeper.
According to friend Marvin Friedrich, who played with Karius at Union Berlin, the shot-stopper 'always gave his very best on the pitch and put the team first'
"Loris is an absolute team player," he told ChronicleLive. "It wasn't exactly an easy time for him at Union Berlin as the team were picking up plenty of points and there wasn't much of a reason to change goalkeepers. Nevertheless, he always kept going in training and tried to support the team as much as he could from beyond the touchline."
READ NEXT
Isaac Hayden reveals truth about Newcastle being 'richest club in world' amid FFP question mark
Newcastle owners see deal they can do, untouchable found and millions could be saved - 5 things
Isaac Hayden's top apology as Newcastle pay £19k Chelsea fine after Eddie Howe 'loved' tweet
Meet the 45-year-old goal machine still scoring long after Newcastle exit
Eddie Howe has already found 'huge' £40m player for Newcastle...with the help of Ciaran Clark
