Season 3 - We Are Able To Not Spend In A Window?

We make it to January on a scarily good run of form and that has really made me be careful in this transfer window as I didn't want to upset the squad too much. We also had some important cup games coming up in this month to concentrate on and to make matters worse, we had a couple of injuries to try shake things up a little. Can we keep both the winning and unbeaten streak going for another month as difficult as that would be?

Transfers

As I said above, the transfer market ended up being very quiet and we ended up not signing or selling anyone permanently. However what we have done is given some of our players new contracts who I'll share with you so you can see the development made by them, as well as sorting out some loan moves. In terms of the loans, we've managed to get a couple more people out on loan that we think will benefit from the game time whilst also bringing a couple people back off loan and seeing what to do with them next.

New Contracts

The obvious candidate for a new contract this window was Garang Kuol, his performances this season have been excellent and he was coming into the last 2 years of his contract so a few clubs were sniffing round with bids around the £30,000,000 mark which seems cheap for a player with 15 assists already this season. We have rewarded him with a bigger importance in the team and a pay rise as well as getting him on board until 2030 so he's here for the long term.

Next to get a new contract was our young right back Pedro Lima, who had a pretty poor loan move at Coventry as they just refused to play him despite meant to be a regular starter for them. He would also have had a year and a half left on his contract so with his high potential and value it made sense to tie him down for longer and see if we can develop him more now whether that be another loan move or with us for the rest of the season.

Lastly was Jude Cogdan who is starting to show some improvement and was running out of time on his contract the same as Lima. He also came back from his loan move at Charlton in League One as they wasn't using him in the midfield position we'd agreed on and was playing more as a right back, so we got him back to develop him properly and he's actually ended up playing a few times for us now due to injuries which we'll get to later.

Loans

We have loaned out a few more players in this window to get game time and development into the players, other than one which is with a view of him leaving permanently at the end of it.

The one that is in view of him leaving permanently is:

Theo Le Bris - Preston North End - League One

He simply isn't going to make it at our level and we're struggling to get teams interested in signing him off us so this seems like the best fit for now.

Then we've done a couple more for development as below:

Sverre Halseth Nypan - Lille - Ligue 1 (France)

Aleksander Hammer Kjelsen - Cardiff City - Championship

Vakhtang Salia - Cardiff City - Championship

Ismael Doukoure - EA Guingamp - Ligue 1 (France)

Rory Finneran - QPR - Championship

Kjelsen had his loan in Norway finish with the end of their season so will spend the second half in the Championship to get used to the country, and he will be joined by Salia at the same club who has been in good scoring form for us when he has played, but now it's time he went and got a lot more game time at a good level. Also joining them in the Championship is Rory Finneran who we ended his loan at Stevenage in League One as they were using him in the wrong position, only for Championship teams to come in and offer him the game time in midfield where we want him playing so that was a no brainer. Lastly we send both Nypan and Doukoure over to France to get more consistent football at a high level and hopefully they come back all the better for it and we can reassess where they fit in the pecking order at the end of the season.

The Matches

Sheffield United 1 - 3 Newcastle

We start off with the league where we get a very comfortable and dominating win over Sheffield United. The result never looked in doubt and the team played very well again. We took the lead when Hall intercepted a long pass and surged forward before giving it inside to Wirtz who was able to play the ball through for Kuol to finish first time into the bottom corner. Wirtz was at the centre of the second goal as well, as he took the ball in midfield and made a run into the box then cut it across where Miley was able to get to the near post and tap in. They got one back with a cross to the back post where they were able to win the header but they wasn't back in the game for long. Shortly afterwards Isak spread it out wide to Kuol who brought it under control before cutting it back to Isak who was following his pass and he was able to finish first time from the edge of the box to make it 3-1 at half time. The second half was much quieter and despite has having a couple more small chances there wasn't any goals to report on and we get a nice win.

Wrexham 0 - 3 Newcastle (FA Cup Third Round)

Next up we visit Wrexham in the FA Cup and hopefully get a place on Welcome to Wrexham as a result of it. However the scoreline certainly favoured us on the day and we showed just how big the gap is between the Championship and the Premier League with a very dominating performance again. A negative being Harwood-Bellis getting an injury within 12 minutes when he was going to have an important run of fixtures for us in this month. We did take the lead six minutes after his injury though when Lewis-Skelly played it over the top for Salia who tried a shot from a tight angle, his shot was blocked but it only deflected back to Nypan who had made his way into the box and was able to finish. We got the second when Lima played it down the line with a pass that took out the defender and freed up Pino who looked up and played it low into Salia to tap home another goal for us. In the second half they thought they had one back when Paul Mullin tapped it in from a cross but he was offside and the flag ruled it out. We added a third in the dying minutes of the game when Lima played it over the top for Pino who got brought down as he went to get on the end of the ball. He stepped up himself and smashed it straight down the middle to seal the win and put us in the next round. We got drawn again Watford for the fourth round.

Wolves 1 - 2 Newcastle (Carabao Cup Semi Final Leg 1)

Next up we had the first leg of the semi final and it felt strange to say we were going in as favourites despite Wolves actually having a very good start to the season themselves. However I'm not sure if it was complacency or just not able to perform but we had an awful first half and we had to wait until the second half to change it round. They took the lead in that poor first half when McAtee broke down their right and had enough space to knock it centrally where Hwang was in space and able to finish. We had some strong words at half time and we got a response as suddenly the chances started to flood in for us and we took control of the game. We finally got the equaliser when Lewis-Skelly was able to make it to the line on the left wing and cut it across into the six yard box for Sesko. Unfortunately Sesko was wiped out as he went to finish but Kuol was waiting behind him and he took the tap in instead and got us on level terms. Then as we got to the final ten minutes we were awarded a penalty when Pino sent in a cross which Isak did get on the end of, but off the ball behind them Gordon had been hauled to the floor by the defender and the referee caught it. Isak stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to put us in control ahead of the home leg.

Newcastle 1 - 0 Crystal Palace

This was a result we were very happy with as despite being in control it was really looking like the goal wouldn't come despite our best efforts as their keeper was just on the ball all game. However in past seasons where we have slowed down and let the other teams come back into the game we stayed on it and kept pushing and got our deserved goal to take the three points. This was a big change in mentality for the team I felt and if we can keep getting scrappy wins even when it looks like it won't happen, we are starting to look like a title challenging team. The major negative from this was Wirtz getting injured on the 67th minute and that puts him out for between a month to a month and a half. They started the game with a flurry of corners which Vicario was able to match every single one of them, but them it became all us after that moment. We finally got the breakthrough on the 77th minute as Hall came down the left and sent the ball in low to Barnes who was brought down. The penalty was given and Sesko stepped up and he sent the keeper the wrong way to finally beat him and give us the 1-0 win.

Newcastle 1 - 0 Aston Villa

Next was Aston Villa currently managed by Jurgen Klopp and this was where Cogdan started to show his value to us. With Wirtz out injured and Nypan out on loan it was only Bueno available to us, however he also picked up an injury in training for a few weeks which meant Cogdan was promoted and made his debut and played very well in it. He almost had an instant impact as his pass through sent Pino on goal but a poor finish meant his early assist was taken away from him. He was involved in the goal however as he brought ball forward before playing it out wide to Gordon who knocked it forward first time for Isak to run on to and he found the far corner to make it 1-0. The second half was a bit quieter but we thought we added a second when Miley looped it over the top for Gordon who's first time cross was met by Sesko to double the lead, only for the offside flag to go up and rule it out. Another 1-0 win but again a game where we were in control and never looked like losing it.

Newcastle 2 - 0 Wolves (Carabao Cup Semi Final Leg 2)

We were already in control of this game thanks to our 2-1 victory at the Molineux but the team didn't want to repeat the performance of the first half in the first leg and made sure we were comfortable throughout this tie. It started in the 5th minute when Barnes played it through for Kuol who unselfishly cut it back across goal for Sesko to tap in for the lead. Then as we came to the half hour mark we had a corner which Barnes whipped in to the near post where Sesko was able to rise highest and header home and double our lead. They had a big chance at the start of the second half but Guehi was there to block it and keep it at 2-0. Then a bunch of substitutions by both teams really broke the game up and it fizzled out. We end up winning 4-1 on aggregate and make it to consecutive finals in the Carabao Cup, this year we will be facing Arsenal to defend our title.

Watford 0 - 3 Newcastle (FA Cup Fourth Round)

Strangely the Championship team of Watford were able to have a much closer game with us than the last couple of Premier League teams had, however the result showed completely differently and it looked far more comfortable than it was. We had to wait until the 40th minute where we thought we had the lead when Sesko ran out wide with the ball and played it into Miley who gave it straight back to him as he ran into the box and he beat the keeper, but the offside flag denied us again. Moments later Kuol was able to get the ball on the wing and he fired it across the box where Sesko was able to tap it in and keep up that deadly combination between those two going. Just before half time was coming Kuol made his move and got into the box where the defender just brought him down and a penalty was given, Sesko stepped up for his second but the keeper guessed the right way and was able to save to keep it at 1-0 for half time. We then tried to get a second as Miley played it through for Barnes this time on the left wing and his attempted cross took a deflection and went in for an own goal, only for the offside flag to rule out a second goal for us in the same game. The second did eventually come though when Hall whipped in a corner from the left and the defenders got their head to it but it only went upwards, and as it came back down Sesko was able to get above them and head it in. Sesko was then chasing his hat trick and had two very good chances in quick succession stopped by their keeper, only for it to fall apart when Frimpong got past his man in the box and got brought down for yet another penalty. Sesko stepped up again and this time sent the keeper the wrong way and finished his hat trick. We will face either Leeds or Notts County in the fifth round.

Brentford 3 - 3 Newcastle

Finally our winning stream comes to an end after 22 consecutive wins in all competitions and it felt harsh for us to lose it in this game. We were by far the better team but again were met by a solid defence and ours unfortunately went a bit leaky and any chances they had they scored them. We took the early lead when Bruno sent it into Gordon who took a shot towards the far post but Isak stuck out a leg and directed it goalwards on its way through. The lead was short lived though as a few minutes later they were able to break behind Livramento and get a smart finish away to level it up. Cogdan then sent the ball out wide to Livramento who played a low ball in towards the near post where Isak was able to tap in a second only for the offside flag to deny it. They then took the lead when they had a free kick which they played around on the edge of the box and that brought our defence out which left them some space on the right hand side and they were able to exploit that and get another good finish past Vicario to go 2-1 up. We managed to equalise before half time though when Cogdan played a defence splitting pass for Isak to run through on and curl it round the keeper to make it 2-2 at the break. Immediately afterwards they took the lead though when we fail to clear a corner properly and they eventually just shoot from the edge of the box which took a deflection and found the net again. It looked like we were going to lose all together until the 93rd minute when Diomande and Sildillia were on our right wing for some reason, they eventually played it into Pino on the edge of the box who squared it to the opposite side for Lewis-Skelly to run on to and rescue a point.

Newcastle 1 - 0 Luton Town

We got back to winning ways afterwards though with another game where we once again came up against an inspired goalkeeper. We managed 14 shots on target in total and somehow only one of them were able to beat him. The first half was shockingly bad as other than a header we put over in the first 5 minutes, there was nothing happening. We had to get into the team at half time to fire them up and even then it took until the substitutions on the hour mark to finally get something happening. Hall was able to come down the left and found Bruno on the edge of the box who created himself some space before finding the corner after coming off the bench. We continued to create more and more chances but all of them were matched by the keeper and we just couldn't add a second but we finish January with another win.

Competitions

Premier League

Our run of form has suddenly taken us to the top of the table, although that is in no way a secure position at the moment as we're only 3 points ahead of Man City and Liverpool, and 5 points ahead of Arsenal so a couple of bad results it could easily be taken away. Wolves continue their good season by being up in 5th and are joined in the European places by Spurs and Villa so far. Man U and Chelsea are starting to recover from a poor start and are both in reach of those European places but will need to keep building to get in to them. Sheffield United are already 8 points adrift from safety whilst Luton and Burnley join them in the relegation zone, Leicester who have been promoted this year seem to be pretty comfortable in mid table with 27 points so far though so there is hope for one team at least.

Carabao Cup

Once again we have made our way to the final where we will be facing Arsenal. We've had tight games with them the last few times we've met so I'm expecting a very close final which could go either way. We've already beaten Liverpool and Man City to get here though so why not one more of the traditional big teams to win it a second year in a row.

FA Cup

The FA Cup so far is showing no real surprises as the only time a Premier League team loses it is to another Premier League team, so the lower leagues are struggling to keep up in this one. However we're in the next round where we will play either Championship side Leeds or League One side Notts County depending on their result of the replay.

Next Time

Next time we will be manoeuvring our way through February and March where we will have to contend with our Carabao Cup final, the next rounds of the FA Cup and Europa Conference League whilst also dealing with some big Premier League games against Man City and Liverpool. If we can get through these months with the form we've had so far we could really be putting ourselves in a position to push for the title and silverware which would be a huge improvement on last season. What do you think we can win by the end of the season? Is the league doable or do you think we'll fall short and just take a top 4 position or maybe even lower? Also our unbeaten run is now on 29 games so a result against Man City will hit the 30 mark.