John Barnes fears Newcastle United's newfound wealth will count for nothing in the January transfer window as a result of the club's precarious position in the relegation zone.
The former Magpies winger has warned Eddie Howe that he will have to secure survival with the squad that has currently won just one in 17 matches in all competitions so far.
Newcastle's momentum after picking up a win over relegation rivals Burnley was quickly extinguished by a heavy defeat at Leicester City on Sunday night.
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United remain three points adrift of safety, but face a daunting festive run of fixtures against Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Jesse Lingard, James Tarkowski and Kieran Trippier are among the lengthy list of reported transfer targets tipped to make a mid-season move to St James' Park.
However, Barnes does not believe his former side will be able to convince 'realistic names' to sign despite the wealth of the Magpies' new owners.
Speaking to Bonus Code Bets, Barnes said: “There are no realistic names for Newcastle to buy in January that might save them. There are no superstar players going anywhere, especially not to Newcastle. They might have a lot of money, but they can’t spend it in January because of their league position.
“None of the top players will go to Newcastle before the season’s end. Newcastle must work with what they have, and they have to stop conceding goals.
“They have decent enough players. As soon as the Mike Ashley situation resolved itself, people assumed automatically that everything would fall into place, but that’s not the reality.
“They can forget about the euphoria of being the richest club in the world.
“Newcastle’s form proves that it’s not all Steve Bruce or Mike Ashley’s fault. You need to have the right squad harmony, togetherness, and confidence.
"Their confidence has taken a beating over the last couple of years - and that isn’t going to change overnight.”
