Newcastle United boss Joe Kinnear admits he is furiously planning for the January market.

Kinnear knows he must sell before buying and revealed to the Sunday Sun: "I'd look to put one out in Spain and invest that money wisely, then put another out somewhere else, and invest that money wisely.

"I'd maybe get three or four players out and two back in. The two might be better than the three or four.

"All I could do then is put a list to Mike (Ashley), and say: 'Look, I've generated funds, but we need two more players in.'

"You pay too much money abroad. But if you go the Championship way . . . well, look at Aston Villa, they're fourth in the league. There are plenty of decent players in the Championship."

And Kinnear's talent search is already in full swing.

"I am here until 6pm every day and speak four hours on the phone to everybody I know in the game - lots of chief scouts," he added. "Around 20 or 30 of them used to play for me!

"I speak to them all the time and pick their brains, asking: 'Who have you seen?'

"We are getting a tidy list of players together - a mixed bag, with quite a few youngsters and other, more proven ones, more or less all playing in the Championship.

"Obviously, we are in trouble if we have injuries, and in trouble if we lose our full-backs. The underbelly of the club at the minute needs to be slightly stronger."