Next season's winter break will pose a number of headaches for Premier League managers next season but Newcastle United could be one of the major beneficiaries. Eddie Howe's side have wasted no time in adding to their squad in the transfer market so far and are closing in on a deal for Sven Botman.
The recruitment team at St. James' Park have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure the Magpies don't see a repeat of the start of last season's campaign and while new faces are a must to kick on this time round. The Premier League fixture list, combined with European competitions and of course the World Cup in Qatar means some players could play the most games they've ever played in a single campaign.
For Howe's Newcastle, no European competition and as things stand, a limited number of players off to the World Cup, could be a major boost for the domestic campaign. The Magpies displayed form capable of breaking into the European places after the turn of the year and with the right additions there's no reason they can't recapture that form.
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The Toon have lacked the squad depth to compete on multiple fronts, with the likes of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup seen as an opportunity to play fringe players. Howe's approach to the FA Cup game with Cambridge United, albeit a game that didn't pan out how he would have liked, gives an insight into how seriously he'll approach those competitions next year.
The majority of supporters would take a top-half finish in the Premier League with a decent enough cup run, and that's exactly what the Magpies head coach should target. Of course, the top flight of English football is a difficult one to predict but with the right squad depth, anything is possible.
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