Newcastle United have been linked with the likes of Jesse Lingard, Dele Alli, Diego Carlos in the January transfer window, as Eddie Howe looks to strengthen his squad.
The Magpies have already signed Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier so far this transfer window, and the club continue to be linked with more players before the Monday deadline.
Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard have been strongly linked with moves to St. James' Park after both have struggled for game time this season, whilst Brazilian centre-back Diego Carlos recently handed in a transfer request at Sevilla in an attempt to push for move to Tyneside.
So, how would Newcastle perform in the remainder of the season after a dream January transfer window? We used Football Manager 2022 to find out.
To set up this simulation, we arranged for Lingard, Alli, Diego Carlos, Duvan Zapata, Sven Botman, Yves Bissouma and Robin Gosens all to join the current Newcastle United squad at the start of the January transfer window.
So, how did Newcastle perform after their dream transfer window? Here are the results.
Newcastle's 2021/22 season simulated after dream transfer window
Below is all the transfer signings made by Newcastle in our simulated season:
- Jesse Lingard (Manchester United & England)
- Dele Alli (Tottenham & England)
- Yves Bissouma (Brighton & Mali)
- Robin Gosens (Atalanta & Germany)
- Duvan Zapata (Atalanta & Colombia)
- Sven Botman (Lille & Netherlands)
- Diego Carlos (Sevilla & Brazil)
Lingard and Alli are experienced England international's and both seen as more creative, attacking players but both have struggled for game time so far this season.
Bissouma is a highly-rated central midfielder with brilliant physical and technical attributes, who has performed consistently well for Brighton in the Premier League under Graham Potter.
Sven Botman is one of the most promising talents in Europe and already has all the attributes to succeed as a central defender in the Premier League, along with having brilliant passing ability which suits Eddie Howe's possession-based play style.
Diego Carlos is a physical defender that is comfortable with playing out from the back, with the potential to become one of the top defenders in Europe.
Duvan Zapata is an incredibly strong and physical striker that is clinical in front of goal, having scored 12 goals in 22 games for Atalanta so far this season.
Robin Gosens shone for Germany in EURO 2020 and can play anywhere down the left flank, with well-rounded physical and technical attributes that would make him the perfect full-back partner for Kieran Trippier.
Here's how all signings performed for Newcastle after signing in the January transfer window:
Chris Wood made just a single appearance for the Magpies after signing due to the arrival of Duvan Zapata, with Howe preferring the Colombian in his attack alongside Jesse Lingard and Allan Saint-Maximin.
Zapata scored 10 goals and registered two assists in 20 appearances for Newcastle after signing in January, with Lingard ranking second in terms of goal contributions with five goals and four assists in 21 appearances. Robin Gosens recorded the highest average match rating out of all the January signings (7.30), suggesting he was the most consistent and best-performing player that was signed by Howe in the January transfer window.
Kieran Trippier and Dele Alli chipped in with a combined three goals and six assists, whilst Bissouma, Gosens and Diego Carlos all registered one assist each too. Only Wood, Zapata and Lingard recorded an average pass completion rate below 90% suggesting the majority of Newcastle's signings were tailored to Howe's possession-based play style rather than just signing big-name players.
At the end of the 2021/22 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Newcastle XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics.
This is what Newcastle's best XI looked like at the end of the 2021/22 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full Newcastle best XI (4-3-3): Dubravka; Trippier, Botman, Diego Carlos, Gosens; Bissouma, Alli, Willock; Lingard, Saint-Maximin, Zapata.
All of Newcastle's January signings, except Chris Wood, featured in Newcastle's best XI for the 2021/22 season.
Zapata was able to claim a starting spot in Howe's line up, pushing both Wood and Wilson to the bench. So, how did Newcastle perform in the league after their dream January transfer window?
Newcastle's results from the 2021/22 simulation
Newcastle finished 13th in our simulated Premier League 2021/22 season, winning nine of their 17 remaining Premier League games after completing their dream January transfer window, losing eight and drawing none.
The Magpies form improved dramatically with the addition of quality signings in all areas of the pitch, with Zapata having a significant impact after being thrust straight into the Newcastle attack, scoring 10 goals in 17 league matches.
Howe's side leapfrogged the likes of Norwich, Leeds and Brentford to finish safely above the relegation zone, securing Premier League football for the 2022/23 season showing that their money was well-spent in January.
Compared to their poor first half of the season, Newcastle picked up almost double their points tally in the second half of the season, putting them 11th in the form table between January and May.
Overall, this Football Manager simulation predicts that if Newcastle were to complete their dream January transfer window, the Magpies could comfortably survive relegation and secure Premier League football for another season after a difficult first half of the 2021/22 season.
Duvan Zapata fired Newcastle above the likes of Norwich, Brentford and Leeds, with all the signings' performances suggesting that Newcastle could challenge for European football next season should they replicate their form over a full season under Eddie Howe.
Who would you like to see these players sign for Newcastle United before the January transfer window shuts? Let us know in the comments!
