It’s the most wonderful part of the footballing year, the frantic mid-season January window, promising a slew of players to bolster those squads that need it.
Many clubs panic and bring in lacklustre reinforcements, fans obsess over dealings and even soccer betting over in America throws out odds on the likelihood of signings.
While many clubs face uncertainty over the quality they might bring in mid-season, Newcastle have a proven history of striking gold when it comes to January moves.
Last season alone saw the huge signing of Bruno Guimaraes, a midfielder who has since become the beating heart in the centre of the team.
This window is already shaping up to be another exciting January, with the rumour mill in full flow, churning out the unlikely, the lazy and the compelling transfer stories.
So in anticipation of what is to come, here’s a quick recap of some of The Magpies’ best January business.
Kieran Trippier
Starting with an easy, recent one, Trippier quickly became a fan favourite and leader in the squad following his 13-million-pound move back to England from Atletico Madrid. During a tumultuous 2021/22 season battling relegation, Trippier quickly endeared himself to fans with his infallible passion on the pitch.
Always a hard worker, and rarely ever putting a foot wrong, he has been a trusty reliable full-back as well as a model representative for the club.
Showing unwavering spirit and honesty even in the face of criticism and operating as the voice of the team. He is that impassioned leader that every top club has to have in the dressing room
Papiss Cisse
Up there with Newcastle’s most impactful signings, Cisse was electric when he joined in the 2011/12 season.
He may have petered out as quickly as he exploded into English football, but this signing was the catalyst for an uptick in form that eventually saw Newcastle finish in 5th place, after years of mediocrity.
The strike partnership of Demba Ba and Cisse is one that for a brief few months looked set to be one of the most dominant partnerships in Premier League history. But alas, come the next season, the goals had dried up.
Ba was still scoring at a rate of knots, but Cisse was struggling to replicate his blistering form.
Cisse went on to be a decent option upfront over the next few seasons but never came close to recapturing his lightning-in-a-bottle start to life on the toon.
Still, he deserves a place on this list and is the most impactful January signing by virtue of how his brilliance upon signing transformed Newcastle’s season as they achieved the unbelievable, finishing 5th, owing much of it to the iconic Papiss Cisse.
That goal he scored against Chelsea was worth the 12 million they paid for him alone.
Moussa Sissoko
Moussa Sissoko was not just a reinforcement for the 12/13 season, proving to be an inspired signing who performed well on a regular basis for the best part of 3 and a half years.
Picked up from Toulouse for just 1.5 million, this bargain buy was a piece of genius, shown by the huge profit made when he left for 30 million following the 2016 relegation.
A Midfielder that never stopped running, combative yet skillful, intelligent and with a fierce strike on him to boot, Sissoko ran the show, with Newcastle a noticeably better team with him on the field.
Peter Lovenkrands
Maybe not the first name on most people’s list of January signings, the rapid Dane quickly established himself as a cult hero on Tyneside. Signed on a free, from Germany, as his chant went, the Dane possessed quick feet and was absolutely rapid.
The nightmare of any ageing full-back, Lovenkrands may not have been able to save Newcastle from relegation upon joining, but his dominating performances fired us back to the Premier League, escaping the purgatory of the second tier of English football.
Scoring 13 in 29 League games as a winger, Lovenkrands was unstoppable.
Yes, there may be better players and signings, but the man was loved by fans and was a great little player to watch. A classic explosive winger, he could change games from the bench in the Premier League even when firmly in his 30s.
Without his performances in The Championship to get us up at the first time of asking, who knows whether we’d be in the position we’re in now?
Miguel Almiron
Lastly, the beloved Paraguayan, ‘Miggy’ absolutely deserves a place on this list. Signed as far back as 2019, Almiron became a fan favourite thanks to his work-rate and big performances.
It was a tough start for the then marquee signing, who joined from MLS side Atalanta for a whopping 25 million, with Almiron struggling to find the net on his arrival.
He wouldn’t score his first league goal until the following season, and the big price tag adorned on his back was starting to look like a poor piece of business.
But Almiron was undeterred, and the fans supported him, they could see there was a great player there, as little by little Miggy grew into the English game.
This of course culminated in a fantastic 22/23 season that saw him tear the Premier League up, forcing Jack Grealish to eat his criticisms from the year before.
The player’s perseverance and determination would have made him a cult hero and fan favourite even had his performances stayed the same.
But as his game has elevated, taking things up a notch with each passing season, Almiron has cemented himself as a fan favourite and a top player.
