Ranking every Newcastle United January transfer window from worst to best (10-6) | OneFootball

For fans, the recent Newcastle United January transfer window was a refreshing reminder of what can be achieved with a dose of ambition.

Despite a slew of – ultimately unsuccessful – protracted bids for the likes of Diego Carlos, Sven Botman and Jesse Lingard, and an eleventh-hour Hugo Ekitike snub, the Magpies were the highest spending club on the planet during the winter aperture, splashing around £90m on five new acquisitions.

Always a challenging time to conduct business, the mid-season window is one which has often passed the Toon by without a tremor since its inception during the 2002-03 season.

Dom Kureen ranks all 20 of Newcastle’s January transfer windows to date, listing any notable deals that took place.

10. Andy out, Shefki in (2011)

Hatem Ben-Arfa (£5.2m, Marseille)

Shefki Kuqi (Free, unattached)

Stephen Ireland (Loan, Aston Villa)

OUT

Andy Carroll (£35.2m, Liverpool)

Xisco (Loan, Deportivo La Coruna)

Round up

The infamous window where Andy Carroll was sold for a mammoth £35m (Mike Ashley later gleefully revealing that The Reds were also penalised £200,000 for a late instalment).

With the deal completed so late in the window, there was no time for a legitimate replacement, with fans fearing the worst when nomadic lower league trundler Shefki Kuqi rocked up, having been released by Championship club Swansea.

The Carroll mugging, coupled with the addition of mercurial playmaker Ben Arfa (despite long-term injured at the time, converted from loan to permanent signing), made this a retrospectively decent window, although at the time it left supporters disillusioned.

9. Roll of the dice results in snake eyes (2016)

IN

Andros Townsend (£12m, Tottenham Hotspur)

Jonjo Shelvey (£10m, Swansea City)

Henri Saivet (£5m, Bordeaux)

Seydou Doumbia (£600k Loan, AS Roma)

OUT

None

Round up

With Steve McClaren’s inaugural campaign descending into relegation strife, Ashley loosened the purse strings a tad, with £27m spent in January.

Shelvey’s initial form was hit and miss, while Saivet and Doumbia reeked of desperation and poor scouting. Townsend was scintillating, but his efforts were in vain, as a promising window couldn’t rectify the damage done in the first 20 games.

8. Miggy adds a new dimension (2019)

IN

Miguel Almiron (£16m, Atlanta)

Antonio Barreca (£700k Loan, Monaco)

OUT

Jacob Murphy (£400k Loan, West Bromwich Albion)

Round up

Rafa Benitez finally got his man, as Paraguayan winger Miggy Almiron swapped MLS for EPL in a mid-season move.

The fleet-footed attacker added a new dimension to the side, becoming part of a potent three-pronged attack alongside Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez as Newcastle ended the season in style.

Antonio Barreca was a waste of a squad place, barely gracing the pitch in his five months on Tyneside.

7. Vive la revolution (2013)

IN

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (£6.7m, Montpellier)

Mathieu Debuchy (£5.5m, Lille)

Massadio Haidara (£2m, Nancy)

Moussa Sissoko (£1.2m, Toulouse)

Yoan Gouffran (£900k, Bordeaux)

Kevin Mbabu (£700k, Servette FC)

OUT

Demba Ba (£7.5m, Chelsea)

Xisco (Free, Cordoba CF)

Nile Ranger (Released)

Round up

A strange season where Ashley and his honchos failed to build on an astounding fifth place by overseeing a quiet summer window, attempting to compensate with a Winter spree.

Issue 276 – 9 February 2013

No less than five French players (and one Swiss) joined the fray mid-season, but the one that got away – Loic Remy – proved perhaps the costliest, with Chelsea activating Demba Ba’s release clause to leave Newcastle shorthanded up top.

Sissoko settled quickest, memorably skinning Ashley Cole and looking like a beast during his initial months.

6. Upgrades aid late-season resurgence (2018)

IN

Islam Slimani (£1m Loan, Leicester City)

Martin Dubravka (£850k Loan, Sparta Prague)

Kenedy (Loan, Chelsea)

OUT

Aleksandar Mitrovic (£600k Loan, Fulham)

Jack Colback (Loan, Nottingham Forest)

Henri Saivet (Loan, Sivasspor)

Round up

Possibly Benitez’ finest value for money signing, Dubravka was instrumental in keeping Newcastle up – following up a sparkling debut against Man United with a string of solid displays.

Kenedy provided energy and for a time appeared to be one of the most promising young players in the country.

Injury prone Slimani wasn’t up to much though, while Rafa ditched the unfancied Mitrovic in a controversial move.

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