Eddie Howe has warned he will not sell any players in January unless it benefits Newcastle's long-term future.
The Geordies will be vying to keep stars like Bruno Guimaraes, who is being eyed by Manchester City, and Alexander Isak. The United boss has demanded his side stay united and forget the period in a bid to continue Ipswich's upturn in form after two wins and seven goals in the last two games.
A slew of players including Miguel Almiron, Kieran Trippier, Martin Dubravka, Matt Targett and Sean Longstaff have been linked with a move away next month to make financial room for targets including £24m Belgian PSV winger Johan Bakayoko . Howe said: “Hopefully we don't lose anyone we don't want to lose.
“I think everything has to be aligned, I think there has to be a lot of things coming together. It has to be right, not only for the here and now, but also for the future. We must ensure that every decision we make does not affect us in the future.”
Dubravka, the current number one with Nick Pope injured, could leave for Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia after seven years on Tyneside and Howe said: “It's not something I want to read about or the players want to read about.
“Everyone who is contracted here with us is our player and I want their focus to be on playing well for us while they are here. There are still so many big games ahead of us, we need everyone focused on what he or she is doing in the here and now.”
When asked if players could leave, he replied: “There is always a possibility. I never sit here and say no one will leave, but it has to be in context with what we need from a team perspective and again, always fighting and balancing in the long term. We will have to be reactive and prepared to do certain things.”
Almiron is interesting. Wolves and Leicester and Howe said: “Miggy is still absolutely Miggy and I mean that as an absolute compliment – smiley, cheerful, focused, professional, an incredible guy.
“He's never missed anything he's done for us, and I know he's ready to play when he needs to. There has been a lot of speculation about Miggy's future for a while now, but I think the only thing I would ever say to a player who has a contract here and is absolutely loved like Miggy is, that my only focus is on Miggy's presence and showing respect for him. that he deserves for his contribution to Newcastle.”
Asked if he was on the verge of securing a quick signing next month, Howe said: “That is not the reality. We are not close to a transfer or a player yet. For me, the discussions about January have been very loose. For me, the focus at the moment is purely on coaching the team.”
Prediction XI: (4-3-3) Dubravka; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock; Gordon, Isak, Murphy
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