Monday 14 September 2015 23:27, UK
Steve Howey believes QPR's Charlie Austin would be an ideal fit for Newcastle, and expects the Magpies to bid for the striker in January.
Newcastle manager Steve McClaren said Austin, who was valued by the Championship club at £15m in the summer, remains on the club's list of transfer targets.
Howey, who made 191 appearances for the club between 1989 and 2000, says the 26-year-old would add to what he feels Newcastle are missing most this season - goals.
"I like him, he scores goals," Howey told skysports.com
"There has been a lot of talk about his fitness - his knee, his shoulder - but the lad doesn't miss many games and he scores goals. Whatever QPR seems to be doing seems to be working to keep him on the pitch.
"You talk to the people in football who know him, and you know that he gets stuck together with tape but he plays every week."
Austin's contract is due to expire in June 2016, and Howey feels Newcastle would not have to spend £15m if they put a bid in for him in January.
"He causes problems, he scores goals and I'll be surprised if they [Newcastle] didn't go back in for him, but I don't think they'll pay £15m. At the same time, QPR know the player could leave for nothing in the summer in June. They'll want to maximise what they can get for him but also obviously they've got to be realistic about the price that they pay."
"I'm pretty sure Steve's got the scouting lads working quite hard to find what's in and around Europe as well."
And Howey believes that summer signing Aleksandar Mitrovic, who was sent off in Newcastle's last game against Arsenal and has accumulated three yellow cards in his four Premier League games, could become an effective player for the Magpies.
"I like Mitrovic but obviously there is a lot of talk whether he can handle the Premier League because of being sent off," he said.
"It can be a little bit of a worry but I'm pretty sure the manager will get hold of him, which he will have done by now. He might be able to get away with that [challenge] in certain leagues around the world but not in the Premier League. We're very hard when it comes to that kind of thing."
"It'll be interesting to see if the manager can do any business in January even though he has got Mitrovic, you've got De Jong - who is more like a number ten, there's Perez as well so he's got options there but not really for me an out-and-out goalscorer. It depends on what happens with Cisse as well."
