Newcastle signing hits new low as Eddie Howe 'decides how to spend January war chest'

Newcastle United new boy Odysseas Vlachodimos may have already twigged that things are not working out well following his move to St. James' Park this summer. And they could soon get even worse.

The Magpies splashed £20million to sign goalkeeper Vlachodimos from Nottingham Forest, while negotiations between the teams saw Elliot Anderson head in the opposite direction for £35m.

With Nick Pope occupying the starting spot between the sticks and Martin Dubravka his deputy; Vlachodimos, despite his hefty price tag, has not even been able to secure a spot on the substitutes' bench so far this season.

Given that John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie are also on Newcastle's books, it's not even clear whether Vlachodimos is Howe's third-choice stopper. It has been a dramatic fall from grace for the 30-year-old who, as recently as last year, was the starting goalkeeper for Portuguese giants Benfica.

Vlachodimos played well over 200 games for the club and boasts almost half a century of caps for Greece. But his move to Forest failed to bear fruit, and his switch to Newcastle is already looking like a complete disaster.

Ominously for the out-of-favour star, The Chronicle state that Howe wants to add yet another goalkeeper to his ranks in January.

Newcastle are looking for a candidate content to play back-up to Pope before eventually taking over the 32-year-old as the new No 1. James Trafford was heavily linked during the summer and the Magpies could go back in for him in January, but Burnley are sure to demand a profit on the £19m they paid to Manchester City in 2023.

Howe and sporting director Paul Mitchell are reportedly set to be given a £70m transfer war chest this winter after spending modestly during the summer. Newcastle were prepared to splash on bringing Marc Guehi to Tyneside, but their failure to land the Crystal Palace defender has left a hefty chunk of cash lying around.

Whether that is used to sign Trafford, or make a second attempt to sign Guehi, remains to be seen. But recruiting a future No 1 is reportedly high on Howe to-do list and he will be eager to recruit wisely.

Newcastle and their mega-rich Saudi owners have been forced to keep their transfer spending on a tight leash in recent windows due to PSR rules, but they have nevertheless made a strong start to the new season, with three wins and a draw from their first four Premier League games.