Not a ball kicked in anger for Newcastle United but you wouldn’t have noticed it from the electricity racing around news-lines, social media and those Wats App groups we’re all part of these days discussing every scintilla of news involving the club.

The big news were the reports linking several players with moves away from SJP the most prominent being Kieran Trippier to German giants Bayern Munich to team up with his pal Harry Kane and Eric Dier from his Spurs days but also Callum Wilson with a possible transfer to Athletico Madrid. The only confirmed move is Javier Manquillo to Celta Vigo where he will have a reunion with the excellent Rafa Benitez, formerly of this parish.

I returned from my morning run (well, run might not be an accurate description in honesty) to read a report linking Miggy Almiron with an outward move to Saudi side  Al-Shabab with a possible fee of £25m mentioned. That would be a handy amount of money to reinvest if its real.

All of the players mentioned above have been fine servants of Newcastle United and if they do move on, they will be remembered fondly by supporters and will be welcomed back as part of our B&W community.

I will say however the hysteria following Darren Eales’ words at the start of the window regards our financial position and the need to sell players has been proven to be another football media psychodramas that blow in and out of our consciousness. To take some of the reporting at face value recently we could’ve expected Howe to have been sacked, Ashworth to be at Old Trafford, Bruno at PSG and God knows who else going anywhere else. It seems like the actual words Eales used were manipulated to drive clicks but the current reality is far different to what the media wanted us to believe. There’s a surprise.

I won’t insult your intelligence by pretending to have details of the intricacies of any transfer and if you do fancy being taken in by bad actors on social media with their bogus claims of being ITK then be my guest. However, in some regards were these players to leave, the transfers would make sense given their age and United’s need to generate money and space on the payroll for new players within the parameters of the PL’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

I’m tempted to look back at last January and the transfers of Chris Wood and Jonjo Shelvey. Both players were of value in their different ways and it did present something of a risk in letting them go. In the end we were blessed with injuries last season so the risk ended up being worth taking.

It was widely reported Eddie Howe didn’t really want to lose Wood/Shelvey but the pay-back on the loss of two players from the first team squad was the arrival of Antony Gordon who I’d say has been our most potent attacking player this season.

If we unpick the logic of each of those players reported as in scope of leaving (and there may be others) we can see the club’s strategy.

Kieran Trippier to use a well-worn expression has been a transformational player for us. The first signing of the new era in Jan 22 his class as a player, a leader and his experience has been exceptional. I couldn’t put a price on his value to United over the last 24 months.

I’m not the only older Mag who regards him as one of the club’s best players of the last half century but singularly the best full-back we have had in that period by some distance.

However, he is 33 and realistically has 18 months remaining in his career playing at his current level. He’s a bad knock from his career being over. United have Tino Livramento coming through as well as Emil Krafth as cover not to mention Harrison Ashby out on loan at Swansea.

I often wonder how a Mike Ashley owned Newcastle United could have attracted Callum Wilson to the club because the Coventry-born striker has been one of the most accomplished English strikers of his generation. Then I look at the stats regards his appearances and the games he has missed and understand why when he left Bournemouth playing for Steve Bruce was his best option.

Wilson has missed periods again this season and it is inconceivable United won’t be in the market for another striker very soon because his age suggests that injury record is not going to improve. If there is a club ready to pay money for him then it makes sense to move him on.

Much the same can be said of Miggy Almiron who after labouring under Bruce following a promising spell under Rafa with Perez and Rondon was reborn under Eddie Howe and has likely had the best period of his career over these last eighteen months. He has served the club very well.

However, lately his limitations have been exposed and if there’s a good time to sell him it might have been in the summer with his stock at its height but if there is interest now then the return of Barnes, Willock, Murphy and Anderson that might suggest the club has plenty cover in wide areas and can sell Tyneside’s favourite Paraguayan.

There was reporting of Jamal Lascelles leaving for Turkish side Besiktas but that would leave us well short in central defence. I do think we will see Jamal leave United in the summer with a wider pool of players possibly exiting too. That might include Dummet, Ritchie and mark the end of Hendrick and Hayden’s time at United although they have bobbed around from one loan and another with varying results.

Ryan Fraser could do with leaving as well though he has a longer contract so is a wee bit more complicated. We might get some money for him. Dubrabvka and Karius might also be at the end of the road too.

I don’t see any logic in Joelinton leaving United due to his age and value to the club overall. The siren voices in the media making claims he has potentially played his last game for United are overreacting in my opinion and I don’t expect contracts of this nature are easily agreed. That said, if there is no sign of a contract being signed as we get into the summer then United could be forgiven for moving him on as we won’t wish to lose him for nowt a year later. That would be a massive shame however.

We’ll see and of course my rationale could be ripped up easily because different forms of logic can be applied to several sets of facts and none of them might be real.

One thing is certain however and that is if we were to lose players we will need to bring in recruits this window if we are going to stand any chance of progressing in the FAC and forcing our way into European spots – both of which offer something to salvage from a season largely ravaged by injury and the Tonali ban.

I’m hopeful the rest since the Man City game has refreshed the lads and we’ll go to Craven Cottage this Saturday with a bit more energy in us. It is a tough assignment but if we can get beyond Fulham then you would hope a home draw against decent opposition would see us in the last eight. I say that because we can’t continue to get rotten cup draws can we? Can we?

Then of course we have Villa a few days later and with the chasing we got last season in the West Midlands still fresh in our mind we know how tough an assignment that might be.

But we knew this was going to be a tough period and so it has proven. The squad needs to be refreshed and the acid test is at the end of the window to reflect on what the squad looks like and is the overall strength of it stronger than it was at the start.

There’s a week and a bit before we can make that call.

Have a great week.

Keep On, Keepin’ On …

Michael Martin, @TFMick1892