Rafael Benitez' Newcastle United have taken the Championship by storm this season, excluding poor form in the opening two weeks of the campaign, but the Spaniard's side are odds-on to achieve an immediate promotion back to the Premier League.

Benitez has revitalised the Newcastle squad and has to be praised for his transfer activity with the club, although his work is not yet done and he needs to be busy once again in January.

Whilst big-players and star signings can provide the difference between a promotion winning campaign and falling short of expectations, getting rid of deadwood is equally important as unsettled players could easily disrupt the flow of the team.

Players in the squad that aren't up to scratch will also take up wage funds and a spot in the team, which means Benitez has to axe the right men swiftly- and we believe these two players simply have to go when the mid-season window opens in the New Year.

Hit 'Begin Gallery' below to see TWO players he must get rid of in January!

Cheick Tiote

tiotetetee

Playing just 16 minutes of Championship football this season, it's clear that Ivorian Cheick Tiote should be sold.

In the past two transfer windows, Newcastle have failed to offload the African ace due to his high wage demands but something must be done in January to resolve the situation.

Tiote has spent six-years at Newcastle, with some memorable moments, but the current situation revolving around the 2015 African Cup of Nations winner risks erasing all of that.

Rafael Benitez has left the door open for the 30-year-old to make a return, praising his efforts in training, but it would be good for everyone if they simply moved forward without him.

Curtis Good

Curtis GoodCurtis Good

The 23-year-old Australian has had an injury-plagued two years at the club but has failed to make an impact in his four years on Tyneside, as he's yet to make a single appearance in the league.

Arriving from Australian side Melbourne Heart in 2012, Good was tipped to be a hot prospect for the future but he's done little to suggest that is the case, accumulating a total of just seven appearances from two loan spells at Bradford City and Dundee United.

We've seen it a lot with young players that promised so much but failed to make a breakthrough, although Good is young enough to still make an impact elsewhere.

At Newcastle though, his time is definitely up.