It is why a move for Kalvin Phillips remains on a knife edge.
Some preliminary dialogue with Manchester City has already taken place over a loan until the end of the season. While the England international is a player Howe likes and would offer the option of deploying a different midfield configuration, there are other considerations to take into account.
The loan fee would be north of £5m and City ideally want to build in an obligation to buy in the summer at a fee close to the £40m they paid for him. That would not necessarily be a problem – the question is whether it ticks long-term boxes.
Would a January move make sense, for example, when Newcastle have midfielders like Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes and Elliot Anderson to come back in a few weeks to re-energise their engine room and offer Howe the chance to tinker with his team?
Newcastle remain strictly hemmed in by Financial Fair Play and any spending will have a knock-on impact on their chances of restocking in the summer, when the “transformational” targets they have their eye on are more likely to move at more reasonable prices. That is when transfers which will really change the look of the squad are planned.
There is the possibility of fast-tracking one of those moves if the opportunity arises – they did that with Anthony Gordon last January, and that transfer has been a success – but otherwise it is a question of balance and patience, of seeing the bigger picture and holding their nerve. And no-one at Newcastle believes this downturn represents a deep malaise or requires a drastic reset.
For his part Phillips is understood to have options. Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are attractive potential January moves, the former arriving with guaranteed playing time too. In the Premier League Fulham and Crystal Palace are believed to be monitoring his situation.
It is probably not the message anxious Newcastle fans want to hear but Howe has already said the solution to their woes is likely to “look internally”. It is not just rhetoric: there is a belief that training ground time, players returning and a gentler schedule can dovetail to give Newcastle the chance to revive their campaign.
But it has to start soon, as stand-in skipper Dan Burn admitted to i after the 4-2 defeat to Liverpool.
“I think this is a huge month for us. January will decide how our season goes – either we pick up and kick on or we won’t,” he said.
“It hasn’t really clicked in the last month or so but there’s still a lot of belief in us.”
Burn is one of those Howe has had to rush back from long-term injury to help Newcastle cope with an injury crisis. In an ideal world he would have been eased back into contention – like Sven Botman – but Newcastle’s problems made that impossible.
Burn said Monday’s performance at Anfield was “more like it” from Newcastle.
“I think it’s helping that there’s less games than December, we’re getting a few more bodies back – we’re losing some of course – but I still believe we’re a very good team and when we can put it all together we can put in some very good performances.
“It was more like us, 100 per cent. It was more up to the standards we expect of ourselves,” he said.
Burn has been a supporter himself and recognises the spasms caused by runs like the one Newcastle are on. But his message is clear.
“It takes a bit of perspective. I know that’s hard to hear. I’ve been a fan in the stands and I understand it,” he added.
“It’s not a lot of effort from the boys we’ve got here, everyone is putting absolutely everything into it.
“Sometimes that’s not enough but we’re working on it. We know how much the game against Sunderland means to the city and we’ve got a full week to prepare for it.”
