Eddie's looking forward to a dry January

HOWE'S KEEPING 'OPEN MIND' BUT MAY FACE QUIET WINDOW

- BY LEE RYDER

NEWCASTLE head coach Eddie Howe suggested he won't lose too much sleep if the Magpies get through the January window without signing a new face.

The Toon chief enjoyed a £200m transfer splurge last summer.

Yet while sporting director Ross Wilson has been tasked with the search for a younger defender this window - with Dayann Methalie of Toulouse heavily linked - there is a chance Howe could emerge empty-handed.

Howe, who admitted his admiration for England defender Marc Guehi (left) going into today’s clash with Crystal Palace, will take a rain check later in the window on transfers. But he admitted that he takes full accountability for the squad despite serving under three different sporting directors in Wilson, Paul Mitchell and Dan Ashworth since being appointed five years ago.