Keegan this week lost out on Pablo Aimar, with Benfica stealing in at the last minute to sign the Argentinian from Real Zaragoza.

So far, Keegan has made two signings – Jonas Gutierrez and Danny Guthrie.

And he admits he desperately needs several more players through the door before the transfer window closes at the end of next month, with Newcastle's squad looking desperately thin in several areas.

He said: "Obviously, the whole world knows that the squad is too small. Every Newcastle fan, and the people at the club, know that.

"But getting the right players in was always going to be tough because there is a lot of competition for good players."

Guthrie will make his debut away to Hartlepool tomorrow, but Gutierrez is unlikely to feature until the home friendlies against PSV Eindhoven and Valencia next month, despite reporting for pre-season training a week earlier than expected.

And from what he has seen so far, Keegan believes Gutierrez – nicknamed Spiderman – is the "real deal".

He added: "Jonas was told he could come in next week, but he has come in this week, that tells you a little bit about his character.

"He's 25 years of age and is a very fit boy, very determined and very professional and I think the crowd are going to like him – he's top class.

"Jonas is definitely the sort of player who can excite the fans. I think they'll love him for a lot of reasons, but the main thing, apart from his pace, is that whoever plays up front will like him because he is a supplier of goals.

"Daniel Guiza, the guy who has just gone to Fenerbahce from Mallorca, won the Golden Boot in Spain, and that means he scored more goals than anyone else at the likes of Real Madrid.

"A key part of that was Jonas and the crosses that he provided and we've got that now.

"There's a lot of competition for those two wide places, because he can play right or left, they're his two best positions.

"He's the real deal, He's not just somebody who has come and you think he's a bit of a chancer, he's proven and I think they'll like him.

"But that's for him to decide by his performances and them for how they appreciate it."