Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe says now isn't the time for fantasy football.

The arrival of the new Saudi-led ownership in October gave rise to talk of superstar signings and hundreds of millions of pounds being splurged this month.

But Howe has instead led the drive to bring in two players with Premier League experience in the form of Kieran Trippier, 31, and Chris Wood, 30, both of whom are set to start during Saturday's relegation showdown at home to Watford.

"When the takeover happened there was a lot of excitement at what lay ahead," said Howe. "But the immediate needs of team are very different to that initial expectation.

"It was my job to cut out a lot of the noise and just see what the team needed. That is what I've tried to do in our current situation - recruit the right players."