NEWCASTLE United’s struggles will not cause them to redraw their January transfer blueprint, insists Alan Pardew.

And that means a striker recruit has been pushed down the transfer window agenda, with the need for two new centre-backs now appearing to have taken priority.

Ajax’s Belgium international Jan Vertonghen is understood to be a target, while West Ham United’s James Tomkins has been the subject of an offer in excess of £3m that was turned down last week.

Pardew says the club will not be panicked into tearing up plans that have been place for months – even if he acknowledges that January can be a chaotic, unpredictable month.

“No, it hasn’t,” he said when asked if the current winless run had affected the team.

“We know in the transfer window that a defender would be very, very helpful at the moment. Certainly (we could do with) a centre-half because we need a bit more presence in the back-four.

“Williamson has been training again and he looks like he’s getting closer and I think he’ll be a big asset for us when he’s up and running again, but we might need another one because if we lose Williamson or Colo, we’ll look like we’re short.

“Generally I think we’re having to look at our squad because we’re stretched, especially defensively. We have made some calls to try and find out who is available.

“Its a difficult window to get a good player when people don’t want to lose their good players. It’s not just difficult for us, it’s difficult for every team. You locate a player, then they’ve got to get a replacement – and is another first-team going to let them go? There’s a knock-on effect.

“It’s a difficult window, we’ll have to see how it pans out.”