Thursday 2 July 2015 11:20, UK
After last season's dice with the drop, where should new Newcastle boss Steve McClaren look to strengthen?
The mood in Toon is mutinous.
Newcastle are one of only four clubs yet to make a summer signing as Steve McClaren hauls his new squad back for pre-season training yet, on last term's showing, there's plenty of work to do.
Ninth when Alan Pardew left for Crystal Palace at Christmas, the Magpies unravelled dramatically under John Carver, their fate dragged out until the final day after a slump that included eight consecutive defeats - the club's worst run in Premier League history.
Owner Mike Ashley faced mass protests as relegation loomed but then, in a rare interview, told Sky Sports he would not leave until the club "won something". It was the boldest of statements and so fans - desperate to feel the St James' Park pull again - wait to see if actions follow words.
Recruitment of half a dozen new first-team players - last year's squad was short on both numbers and quality - appears a necessity, not greed, if Newcastle are to compete in the top half, but we've picked out three areas especially ripe for reinforcements...
Striker
The Magpies thought they'd ticked the centre-forward box when they signed Emmanuel Riviere from Monaco last summer - but he scored a single Premier League goal and his team-mates mustered only a further 39 between them all season.
Papiss Cisse finished top scorer but five of his 11 goals came from the bench and the future of a man who has blown hot and cold could well lie away from Tyneside.
The seven goals and quick feet of Tenerife bargain Ayoze Perez were rare positives in a grim campaign but McClaren will know as well as the Gallowgate that he needs a burly presence, an aerial threat, a line-leader. Just eight goals came from set-pieces last season.
Could Bas Dost be the answer? Reports in Holland say Newcastle remain in pole position to lure a player known to the new manager from his ill-fated spell in Germany. But his 19 goals and Wolfsburg's ambition prompted this dig from manager Dietmar Hecking: "Why would he go there? He can play next season in the Champions League with us."
Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic netted 23 times for Anderlecht and is understood to be on the wishlist compiled by McClaren, chief scout Graham Carr and managing director Lee Charnley. At 6ft 3in and 20 years of age, Mitrovic ticks boxes in terms of physical profile and potential sell-on value but Chelsea are ready to flex their muscles, according to several British newspapers.
Charlie Austin, who hit 18 goals for relegated QPR, remains the club's top summer target, according to Sky sources.
The lingering pull of London remains a potential hurdle, West Ham among a string of clubs also keen, but Austin would fit the bill.
Centre-back
The Magpies were in the market for a centre-back back in January but failed to land a fresh face, instead waving Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa off to Roma.
Fabricio Coloccini's curls might be fabled but the man himself struggled for fitness last term, too often prone to lapses in concentration.
Local lad Steven Taylor scores highly in the chest-beating stakes but is injury-prone, while Mike Williamson - accused by Carver of deliberately getting himself sent off in a humiliating loss at Leicester - was repeatedly found wanting against the Premier League's most pacy and powerful.
McClaren needs a leader, a man to rally and rouse a side that shipped a second-worst-in the-league 63 goals last season.
Ron Vlaar is a free agent but at 30 - and likely to command high wages - would not fit the blueprint, while Ajax's Joel Veltman - a six-footer who was part of Louis van Gaal's squad in Brazil - is a 23-year-old with promise but a player contracted until 2018.
French media claim a bid of around £12m has been tabled for Monaco's Aymen Abdennour but Schalke's Joel Matip might be McClaren's best bet. The £10m-rated Cameroon international is 23, entering the final year of his contract, has Champions League experience and can push into midfield.
Creative midfielder
New arrivals up top and at the back might be a must but what about the supply lines?
Teenager Rolando Aarons sparkled before injuries took hold but, with Sammy Ameobi linked with Cardiff and inconsistent Gabriel Obertan and Yoan Gouffran potentially surplus to requirements, a winger is likely to feature somewhere on Newcastle's shortlist.
Marseille's Florian Thauvin is on the radar, while Sky sources credit McClaren with an interest in former Derby loanee, Tom Ince.
But the departure of Yohan Cabaye 18 months ago left a playmaking hole yet to be adequately plugged. The Frenchman's passing range, dead-ball delivery and influence in the dressing room as well as on the pitch has been sorely missed; Newcastle have struggled to surprise opponents since.
Cabaye's shock return - even on loan - has been touted and would surely be welcomed but fresh reports in the British press claim the PSG man is now in talks about a potential reunion with Alan Pardew at Crystal Palace. How galling that would be for Newcastle fans.
McClaren will hope a fit-again Siem de Jong could prove a creative spark and will surely try to draw more from Remy Cabella, who, frequently uncomfortable out on the left, scored just one Premier League goal last season.
McClaren insists he is in the hunt for "difference-makers". Newcastle need them - all over the pitch.
