Newcastle United won the January transfer window

By Rucker Haringey | Feb 2, 2016

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - JANUARY 15: Jonjo Shelvey (R) and Henri Saivet (L) hold a newcastle shirt for the press during the Newcastle United Training session at The Newcastle United Training Centre on January 15, 2016 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images) /

Newcastle United fans can take solace in the fact that they won the January transfer window

Newcastle United fans haven’t had a great deal to cheer about this season, but this January transfer window deserves applause. Their club strode boldly into the market and had the best transfer window of any Premier League side.

The Magpies did not sit idly by while their club was locked in a relegation battle. Instead, they made bold moves to address some of the club’s most pressing concerns.

Mike Ashley and company were able to add four players who should improve the team now and for years to come. Henri Saivet, Jonjo Shelvey, Seydou Doumbia and Andros Townsend should power Newcastle well out of the relegation zone.

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Saivet and Shelvey will form a dynamic defensive pairing for years to come. Shelvey had grown out of favor at Swansea City despite being one of the club’s top performers on the season. He is a true box-to-box midfielder who will help Newcastle in both attack and defense.

Saivet will serve as the more defensive minded player of the two. His strength in defense will free Shelvey up to make his marauding, overlapping runs into attack. He too, had been one of his previous club’s (Bordeaux) top players on the season. Newcastle did extremely well to bring in a defensive midfield pairing that will be quite effective and also fits together perfectly.

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While Saivet and Shelvey were purchased to solidify the Newcastle defense, the offense certainly wasn’t ignored. That’s where the acquisitions of Doumbia and Townsend come into play.

Townsend, who like Shelvey is also a full English international, will immediately inject pace onto Newcastle’s wing. He had fallen out of favor under Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham for failing to adjust his game to the manager’s system.

At Newcastle, he should be given more offensive freedom which suits his game. He can be a real threat with the ball at his feet and isn’t afraid to take on defenders all match long. He can be maddeningly inconsistent, but the Magpies have enough options to rotate him out of the starting 11 when he isn’t on his game.

Doumbia, who joins the team on loan also projects as an immediate contributor. He’s got loads of pace which will allow him to stretch Premier League defenses with runs in behind the back four. His finishing can be a question mark at times, but it’s a worthwhile gamble as a loan. They don’t need him to be a star, they just need him to add another dimension to their striking options.

Related Story: Doumbia set for Newcastle medical

Newcastle fans have long been critical of ownership for failing to splash the cash necessary to compete in the Premier League. In previous years those concerns have been well founded, but there can be no such accusations this season. Newcastle won the January transfer window.

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