Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is walking a tight-rope at the moment and the side's 3-1 loss at home to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day was their sixth in the last seven outings in all competitions.
Furthermore, the Magpies travel to Anfield to take on league-leaders Liverpool on New Year's Day which could potentially be the club's seventh loss since the beginning of December.
Howe's 3/10 Newcastle star was as bad as Almiron in shock Forest defeat
The Magpies lost their sixth match from seven across all competitions, with multiple aces flattering to deceive.
ByAngus Sinclair
If the Geordie outfit are to climb their way back up the Premier League table, the upcoming January transfer window will be of paramount importance and Howe has previously eyed up one potential target who could take Newcastle to the next level.
Newcastle transfer news – Pedro Goncalves
Reports back in September suggested that Newcastle were keen to battle it out with Liverpool for Sporting Clube de Portugal's star playmaker Pedro Goncalves. The Portuguese giants confirmed that Goncalves has a £70m release clause inserted into his contract, having penned a new deal with the club back in August to fend off any interest.
The Portugal international is not a rookie to English football, having joined Wolverhampton Wanderers' youth academy back in 2017 when Nuno Espirito Santo was in charge, although the versatile midfielder made merely one appearance for the Midlands club which came in August 2018 as a substitute in a 2-0 away win over Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup.
Nevertheless, Goncalves has done sensationally well since returning to his native country for £5.4m back in 2020 and has registered 104 goal contributions in 164 matches for Sporting, including 64 goals and 40 assists and was labelled a "superstar" by journalist Jack Collins. Now, Goncalves could be Howe's saviour.
Pedro Goncalves' stats this season
Newcastle have been struggling to score in recent weeks. Across the club's six defeats in all competitions since the start of December, the side have scored merely three goals. One of the reasons for this has been Sean Longstaff's inability to create chances for his teammates.
Against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, the 26-year-old failed to create a single opportunity and ended the game with a measly expected assists tally of 0.03. Furthermore, the boyhood Newcastle fan made merely three passes into the final third throughout the match, according to FotMob, before being replaced in the 71st minute.
Alexander Isak is currently the Magpies' top goalscorer this season but has found the net once in his last six matches. Meanwhile, Newcastle's second-highest scorer Callum Wilson has bagged one goal in his last nine appearances in all competitions.
Nonetheless, it's not a case of the pair not being able to tuck away chances. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Isak has scored ten goals this season from an xG of 9, while Wilson has scored 8 goals from an xG of 7.6, as per FBref. The duo are very capable of finishing opportunities but high-quality chances are coming few and far between for them. This is where Goncalves can offer a helping hand.
The 25-year-old has registered six assists this season to complement his six goals in 26 matches. Overall with Sporting, Goncalves has recorded 40 assists in 152 matches which is an average of one assist every 3.8 games.
In contrast, Longstaff has registered ten assists in 159 appearances for the Magpies, an average of one assist every 15.9 games. Additionally, Goncalves has been a much more productive player this term than the man he could potentially replace at St. James' Park.
Goals
0.35
0.17
Expected Goals
0.48
0.13
Assists
0.23
0.06
Expected Assists
0.29
0.1
Progressive Carries
3.22
0.65
Progressive Passes
5.32
5.03
Key Passes
2.28
0.92
Passes To Penalty Area
1.52
0.78
Crosses
5.91
0.85
Stats via FBref
This could be a really expensive acquisition but one that could save Newcastle from downing this season and a deal should certainly be explored this winter – handing Howe not only an upgrade on Longstaff, but also the man to truly unlock Isak in attack.