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Newcastle United are in the market for quality January reinforcements, and Eddie Howe may now be set to rival Unai Emery for a former Barcelona star.

Newcastle set to make inroads for January signings

The Magpies are still in the hunt across four separate competitions under Howe. Nevertheless, the Premier League will be their immediate priority, especially given the fact they are well in contention for a continental qualification slot despite a mixed campaign.

Speaking before his side took on Leeds, the former Bournemouth boss indicated in his pre-match press conference that he has held internal talks about potential January arrivals, but there is nothing deemed to be too far down the line at this point.

He said: “There’s only been very loose discussions over the transfer window as well because we’re in the middle of a really busy spell of games. I think we’re all aware – Ross (Wilson) included – that our injury situation will dictate what happens in the market.”

Reinforcing in the full-back areas appears to be on the agenda for Howe, and Newcastle have identified Brentford defender Michael Kayode as a January target amid Kieran Tripper and Tino Livramento’s frequent injury issues.

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After coming close to landing him in the summer, the Geordies could also make a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Plates are beginning to spin in the transfer window, and it remains to be seen how many players Howe will identify to deepen his squad, though if reports are to be believed, he could land his latest target at a financially advantageous rate.

Newcastle offered chance to sign Oscar Mingueza

According to Mailsport, Newcastle have been offered the chance to sign Celta Vigo defender Oscar Mingueza, and he has also been pitched to Aston Villa and West Ham United as a market opportunity.

Valued at around the £8 million mark due to his contract being set to expire in the summer, Emery retains a known admiration for the former Barcelona man, as detailed by Fabrizio Romano after he held talks over a move to the Midlands-based outfit.

In the case of Newcastle, Mingueza is a versatile presence who can feature in either full-back position or further up on the flanks, proving his worth with a goal and three assists in 21 appearances this term.

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Now set for a new challenge, he would either be attainable at a modest January fee or even on a free transfer this summer. However, gambling on a player of his talent still being available in six months time is a dangerous game to play.

Tottenham Hotspur kicked off 2026 in fairly underwhelming fashion as they were held to a 0-0 draw in the Premier League by Thomas Frank’s former side Brentford.

To say that it was a game bereft of quality would be an understatement. Per Sofascore, neither side created a single ‘big chance’ in the 90 minutes, and Spurs ended the game with just 44% of the possession and two shots on target.

Such a toothless display from the Lilywhites may leave some supporters questioning why Brennan Johnson is set to be sold to Crystal Palace for £33.5m.

The Wales international was the team’s top goalscorer in the 2024/25 campaign, with 18 goals, and has scored 27 goals in 106 matches for the club to date, per Transfermarkt.

Why Spurs are right to sell Brennan Johnson

Despite some of his goalscoring exploits during his time in North London, Johnson should be sold by the Lilywhites because he has not offered enough to the team in his general play.

Johnson has a great knack for finding space at the back post to score, as shown in the clip above, but his lack of creativity and quality in possession in deeper areas took away from his goal threat.

The Welsh forward has scored two goals, provided 0.4 key passes per game, and failed to register a single assist in 16 Premier League games so far this term for Spurs, per Sofascore, which shows how little he has offered the team as a creative presence.

Over the last 356 days, as shown in the chart above, Johnson ranks among the worst attacking midfielders and wingers in the five major European leagues in virtually every key possession or creation-based metric that a winger should be judged on.

That is why Spurs are right to cash in after Palace’s £33.5m offer, as they could look to sign a more well-rounded winger, but the Welshman is not the only dud who should be sold this month.

The Spurs flop who should be sold after Brennan Johnson

Pedro Porro’s wasteful performance against Brentford in the Premier League on Thursday night proved that he has to be the next player to be sold after Johnson in the January transfer window.

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Last month, TEAMtalk reported that Manchester City were showing significant interest in a deal to sign the Spain international from the Lilywhites in 2026, which suggests that there is at least one club that would be willing to take him away from North London.

Spurs should take advantage of that interest and cash in on him, as they are about to do with Johnson, as he put in another disappointing display against the Bees.

Per Sofascore, Porro failed with all three of his attempted crosses and only made one key pass, without creating a single ‘big chance’, whilst he lost possession of the ball a whopping 18 times.

The Spanish right-back has not offered enough quality as a creative threat, with one assist in 19 Premier League appearances, to justify how many times he gives the ball back to the opposition.

Players with most possession lost in 25/26 PL

Player

Possession lost

Pedro Porro

361

Elliot Anderson

341

Kyle Walker

336

Mohammed Kudus

327

Yankuba Minteh

323

Lucas Paqueta

303

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, he has lost possession at least 20 more times than every other player in the entire division, in every position, which illustrates just how incredibly wasteful he has been.

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That wastefulness was on display again against Brentford, completing just 76% of his attempted passes (Sofascore), and that is why Spurs should cash in on him, amid recent reported interest from Manchester City.

On top of that, Porro also leads the entire Premier League in errors that have led to shots for the opposition, with five, per Sofascore. No other player in the league has made more than four.

If the Cityzens, as Palace are with Johnson, are willing to pay a significant fee to take Porro away from North London, the Lilywhites should jump at the chance to part ways with him.

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The Spaniard’s defensive errors, coupled with his wasteful play on the ball, suggest that now is the right time for him to move on from the club.