Newcastle United face new PSR challenge as Eddie Howe reveals harsh January transfer reality

Newcastle United's squad received another blow last week after Fabian Schar was stretchered from the field during the team's 4-3 win over Leeds United at St James' Park.

The experienced Newcastle centre-back sustained what appeared to be a nasty injury after Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin landed on the Swiss defender, who was unable to continue.

Schar's injury means he joins fellow centre-half Dan Burn in the treatment room and with Jamaal Lascelles - another option in that area of the pitch - not in a position to contribute, according to Howe, it leaves Newcastle light at the heart of their defence.

Newcastle fans may need to be patient during January transfer window

Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman were both required to complete 120 minutes in the FA Cup Third Round, just days after the seven-goal thriller against Leeds, and with fixtures coming thick and fast, the pair will be stress-tested considerably over the next few weeks.

Newcastle are still in all competitions they have entered this season, competing on four fronts: Premier League, Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup. On one hand, this is a huge positive for the club who go in search of more silverware after last term's League Cup triumph.

On the other hand, Howe's squad has shown signs of fixture congestion strain with several key players already this season spending lengthy periods sidelined.

The latest appears to be Tino Livramento, who was substituted with a hamstring injury in the eventual penalty shootout victory over Bournemouth on Saturday.

Livramento has struggled with injuries already this season and has proven a big miss when unavailable to Howe's side.

Speaking ahead of Newcastle's meeting with Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday evening, the head coach said on the topic of transfers: "The problem for us is PSR. No one is saying we can't do this or can't do that. The key thing to consider is business now versus business in the summer. Value for money now, value for money in the summer, signing the right player.

"If you sign the wrong player, you’re carrying that for a three, four, five-year contract. Are the right players available in January? There's a lot to discuss and a lot to consider for our short-term need against the long-term decision for the football club."

Howe's words were hardly a ringing endorsement of imminent January business, which could mean the current crop of available players are put through their paces during the second half of what has already been a long campaign.

Previous transfer windows have seen Newcastle sail close to the wind in terms of their spending and abiding by PSR (Profitability and Sustainability Rules), which governs the financial health of clubs in England's top two divisions.

The sale of Alexander Isak for a British-record transfer fee last September has eased Newcastle's PSR worries somewhat, but as is the case with most Premier League clubs, the Magpies do not have a bottomless pit of money to throw around, no matter how wealthy their Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund-led owners are.