There was an element of past, present and future at Newcastle United yesterday as one centre forward detailed his fear of history repeating itself, another affirmed his commitment to the club and a third was linked with a summer transfer to St James' Park. With relegation still to be avoided, danger lurks on Tyneside, but so too does simmering expectation.

While results have not been ideal since Kevin Keegan's return, four points have been grasped from Newcastle's past two matches, restoring a semblance of control to the under-achieving club. According to Terry McDermott, the manager's lieutenant, Mike Ashley, the club's billionaire owner, has promised to fund a “big relaunch in the summer”, and hope remains intact on Gallowgate.

It is in that light that José Antonio Reyes, the former Arsenal forward, has been reported in Spain as a Newcastle target, one who would conform to McDermott's recent prophecy that “the calibre of player we're looking to bring in, it will excite this club”. Reyes, 24, is in patchy form for Atlético Madrid; like Tony Jimenez, Newcastle's recruitment director, he is a native of Seville.

In the meantime, there are more immediate priorities. A draw away to Birmingham City and victory over Fulham have left Newcastle six points clear of the bottom three but, while other sides are in far greater peril, they cannot regard themselves as safe. The gravity of their decline this season has not passed unnoticed.

Mark Viduka joined Newcastle on a free transfer from Middlesbrough last summer, when new management, players and ownership pointed to a renaissance that has not materialised. He noticed parallels with the end of his spell at Leeds United, when an established, recently successful club crammed with stellar players hurtled towards relegation.

“I enjoyed the time I had at Leeds, but what happened in the end does stick in the mind,” the Australia striker said. “It's been hard at Newcastle this season because you have to start thinking that the same could happen here. Thankfully, we've got that first win and hopefully we can build on that against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend. We need to get a few more wins before we're safe and then we can start to look at what we can do to improve next season.”

Leading players do not always wait for the good times to return, but Obafemi Martins has again denied suggestions that he wishes to leave Newcastle. The Nigeria forward is close to agreeing a new £26 million, five-year contract, but has been routinely linked with Arsenal.

“What people must understand is I love the fans at Newcastle, I want to continue here,” he said. “There are no problems for me at Newcastle, my family are here with me and I want to stay.”