Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has revealed that the club is looking to sign a defender in January.
The Magpies, who have not won in six Premier League games, are currently without centre-back Steven Taylor for the rest of the season after he suffered an Achilles injury.
"We are having to look at our squad because we are stretched, especially defensively," said Pardew. "We have made some calls to try to find out who is available, but it's a difficult window.
"You want to try to get a good player in a window when teams don't want to lose their good players, so it's not just difficult for us, it's difficult for every team."
Newcastle travel to Bolton Wanderers for the Boxing Day fixtures.