Former Aston Villa and Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips has warned Newcastle United about signing Divock Origi from Liverpool during the January transfer window. The 48-year-old believes that their newfound riches would be better invested in two other players as they battle to escape Premier League relegation.
The Magpies' remarkable winless run continued on Saturday afternoon when Arsenal breezed to a 2-0 victory in north London.
Incredibly, that was their 13th Premier League game this season without a win, leaving them three points adrift at the bottom of the league and seven points shy of safety.
Having been taken over by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, who can provide virtually endless riches, there is a huge emphasis on avoiding relegation this campaign which could set their project back a number of years.
One of their first courses of action was to replace Steve Bruce with Eddie Howe, and despite no director of football being put in place, moves are expected to be made in the January window.
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"Liverpool haven't got the biggest squad. They will be reliant on the likes of Origi when the Africa Cup of Nations comes around in January.
"Let's be honest. Newcastle are crying out for two defenders at least.
"If they want to stay in the Premier League, they need to strengthen that defence. That has to be the priority when the window opens. Defenders are crucial if Newcastle are to stay up."
Indeed, there are numerous defensive targets that the Magpies could pursue when the window swings open in a few weeks' time.
Kevin Phillips believes Newcastle should focus on defensive recruitment in January (Image: GETTY)
Barcelona are still looking to shed weight on their wage bill so that new boss Xavi can recruit players of his own.
That leaves the likes of Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet in the shop window, both of whom could give Newcastle's backline an injection of quality.
There has also been talk of Niklas Sule from Bayern Munich, amid claims that he would be 'interested' in the project underway in the north east.
When battling relegation it is always tempting to add goals, but Phillips is clear in his evaluation that the Magpies, who have shipped the most in the league so far this campaign, must prioritise shoring things up at the back.