Newcastle transfers state of play: Steve Nickson back…

Newcastle transfers state of play: Steve Nickson back at HQ as Magpies eye final January shortlist

Newcastle United head of recruitment Steve Nickson was an interested spectator in the Milburn Stand during the Magpies' 1-0 win over Fulham on Sunday.

Nickson has been reporting in to board members and updating sporting director Dan Ashworth in recent days as Newcastle head for the final straight of the January window.

United have been in constant dialogue with Real Valladolid on Ivan Fresneda and have asked his agency Epic Sports - headed up by Nicola Lenzoni - to be kept in the loop with Manchester United and Arsenal also lurking for his signature.

Nickson spent time in Spain earlier this month and in South America last year, but his return to base camp at the weekend suggests he - along with head of domestic scouting Andy Howe - are close to whittling down their final shortlist for January. Of course, Nickson, who has clocked up the air miles under the club's Saudi-backers, remains on standby to jet off around the globe with transfer activity starting to crank up this month.

With agents beginning to put names forward to Newcastle at a rapid rate the club find themselves in the hectic position of preparing for a major trophy semi-final and a chase for a Champions League place. Suddenly, Newcastle is a much more exciting proposition compared to the one last January, and definitely the summer window when some targets still opted to play elsewhere.

And as the usual transfer frenzy begins to gather pace St James' Park, as fans snap up tickets for the League Cup semi-final against Southampton, is once again a genuinely exciting place to be. January still has the potential to get even better too - on and off the field.

With just under a fortnight to go in the winter window, Newcastle have considered midfielders and wingers as they look to bolster their squad. Yet Nickson, Ashworth and Eddie Howe know they must also look at the trading side of the situation with a full squad and a clutch of players who are currently not getting as much game-time as they want.

As the League Cup reaches the latter stages Howe will obviously be aiming to play his strongest team and with the FA Cup run over early, players like Javier Manquillo and Ryan Fraser must wait to see how the rest of the month unfolds. The midfield area though remains a cause for concern, even with Bruno Guimaraes left relieved yesterday after getting positive results from a scan.

With Jonjo Shelvey and Elliot Anderson still suffering with injuries, Howe said: "We are light in midfield, there's no doubt about that."

Newcastle's decision to move later in the window has left the football world intrigued this month on when the club will strike. But Howe remains hopeful that Newcastle will emerge with what he needs at the end of the month.

Newcastle transfers state of play: Steve Nickson back at HQ as Magpies eye final January shortlist

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