When we think about the Premier League this season Newcastle United have certainly been one of the surprise packages. Last term, some people would have said the Magpies were lucky to have escaped relegation as they staggered to a 16th place finish in the league. Concerns also grew when top striker Demba Ba walked out on the Toon in order to join Chelsea last January, while very few star players arrived over the summer, all leaving Alan Pardew's men looking a little light. However, this season the team have had no such problems as they are currently enjoying themselves in the top half of the league. Pardew was also named Manager of the Month for November after overseeing a famous win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, of all places. This is certainly a very good time to evaluate things as 20 games have been played, just over the half-way point. And the fact that the transfer window is now open gives the team the opportunity to make a few key signings that can provide some fresh impetus between now and the end of the season. That is really the subject for this slideshow as we consider some potential options that could secure a finish in the top six. As always, I will be using data from Who Scored to back up my points. Without further ado, here are 5 Players the Magpies Need For a Top Six Finish. Click "Next" to continue.
James Kent is a freelance writer published on Yahoo! Sports, Bleacher Report, FTBpro, Bloomberg Sports and many others. He has also been featured in the Daily Telegraph, Zoo Magazine, MSN Sport and the Manchester Evening News.
His role on What Culture is currently to produce compelling football articles that nearly always use of combination of stats and strong opinion. Feel free to connect with James via Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.
