After a troublesome first half of January in which financial fair play wreaked havoc upon Newcastle United's plans to strengthen the squad, the window has now bounced dramatically into life at St James' Park.
That said, it hasn't really been a positive thing for the Magpies who are reportedly having to consider the idea of selling some of their best players.
Brazilian sensation Bruno Guimaraes has been linked with a £100m move away, Kieran Trippier has been of interest to Bayern Munich and Callum Wilson is even attracting the attention of Atletico Madrid. The only move which looks likely, however, is Miguel Almiron's exit.
The latest on Miguel Almiron's Newcastle future
On Monday reports of Almiron's potential departure from the northeast dominated Toon news channels.
It was perhaps a surprise, but what wasn't a surprise was Saudi Arabian interest. Speaking to Sky Sports on Tuesday morning, reporter Keith Downie said: "Almiron is someone who could go because that would certainly help them with their financial fair play situation. Not so much the other two [Trippier & Wilson] due to their age, both being in their 30s and their influence in the team."
The latest on the Paraguayan's potential move away comes courtesy of talkSPORT who revealed that an agreement has been reached with Saudi side Al-Shabab with the player open to the move. A deal is not done yet, though.
The signing Newcastle could make to replace Almiron
It's not a foregone conclusion that even if Newcastle sell a few players before transfer deadline day next week they are able to bring in a replacement.
However, according to The Telegraph, they are looking at a possible swoop for Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gbbs-White.
The attacking midfielder/winger has reportedly been scouted extensively by the club although any move in the winter market is going to be tricky to force through.
A magical Gibbs-White alternative for Eddie Howe
Another player Newcastle have targeted is Barcelona winger Raphinha. The former Leeds man was linked with a move to St James' last summer after his £50m move to the Catalan giants hadn't quite gone according to plan.
At the start of January, it was reported that the Toon may well have a second run at acquiring the lively left-footed star with Barca boss Xavi allegedly running out of patience with the 27-year-old who has found the net just four times this term.
That sort of record in front of goal may not send pulses racing at Newcastle but you only need to consider how he performed last season and indeed the last time he was in the Premier League.
In 2022/23 Raphinha scored ten goals and also supplied 12 assists in 50 outings for the Spanish side. That came after an 11-goal campaign in England with Leeds. What might pique the interest of supporters too is that he's scored twice at St James' Park.
16th Dec 2020
0
0
Leeds 5-2 Newcastle
26th Jan 2021
1
1
Newcastle 2-1 Leeds
17th Sep 2021
1
0
Newcastle 1-1 Leeds
22nd Jan 2022
0
0
Leeds 0-1 Newcastle
Blessed with the ability to play on both flanks, but namely from the right, he'd certainly be a cracking alternative to Gibbs-White who will no doubt commend a colossal fee. After all, only a few months ago Forest were able to sell Brennan Johnson for £47.5m.
Gibbs-White is no doubt an exciting player but the fact of the matter is that Raphinha's record of 17 goals and 12 assets in 67 Premier League outings is more impressive than the Forest man's eight goals and 11 assists in 60 top-flight games for the Tricky Trees.
But how do they compare in a bit more detail? We've got the answer.
Goals
0.41
0.11
Assists
0.11
0.16
Shots
4.46
1.98
Pass Success
75%
66%
Key Passes
3.38
1.87
Progressive Passes
4.73
4.22
Shot-creating Actions
7.57
4.12
Successful take-ons
2.16
1.44
Progressive Carries
3.65
2.41
As we can see, the "magician" that is Raphinha – as hailed by ex-teammate Daniel James, is resoundingly better when it comes to the most important metrics for a forward player.
The difference in shot-creating actions and key passes is quite remarkable, although it should be noted that the Brazil international plays in a team that enjoys far more possession. Indeed, on average this season Barca are enjoying 65% of the ball in their matches compared to just 40% for Forest.
That being said, the sheer level that Raphinha trumps Gibbs-White is impressive and if a deal could be brokered, either now or in the summer, it would be a mighty fine way to replace the exit-bound Almiron.
