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Benitez's desperation comes at critical cost: Newcastle January signings rated
COMMENT
Newcastle United ended January with a bang as they saw two new arrivals at St James’ Park in a bid to try and stave off relegation and secure their place in the Premier League next season.
It was a frustrating month for the Magpies, with fans desperate to see manager Rafael Benitez given the financial backing to bring in some quality recruits and bolster what was a threadbare squad after the summer’s transfer failings.
However the money never saw its way into the Spanish manager’s hands, and instead he had to deal with a trio of loanees making their way to Tyneside, in the form of Chelsea winger Kenedy, Leicester City striker Islam Slimani and Sparta Prague goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
On paper, they all look like adequate signings, but in reality the squad were in dire need of some new reinforcements, and there will no doubt be concerns from the Toon Army over whether they are enough to seal survival come the end of the campaign.
So how do the new arrivals rate? Here, Football Insider analyses the trio, looking at what they are going to offer Benitez and how they might impact on the first team, including one man whose signing could come at a critical cost.
Click ‘reveal’ below to see how the first of the new signings is rated