So, the Premier League has a £100m footballer and Lionel Messi is looking for a new Club. What else is new? Well, not a great deal at Newcastle that’s for sure. We continue to be linked with Joe Willock and 1,234,567 others – the latest being Spurs’ Oliver Skipp.
Never fear though, we might get a few quid extra (to not spend on anyone) if Adam Armstrong goes to Crystal Palace or Southampton, with the former having already spent £50m this summer to make a mockery of Bruce’s measly budget.
On the subject of us not signing or spending, I bring you to Axel Tuanzebe – the Man Utd centre-back who was being heavily tipped to become our first summer signing, albeit on loan, just last week.
Apparently he’s now set to join Aston Villa after he signs a new deal at Old Trafford. I can see why they would tempt Tuanzebe if it was a permanent deal, but this is a season long loan where the primary focus will be game time, surely.
That said, I’m struggling to see how he’ll get it at AVFC. Mings and Konsa will start at CB unless injured and Cash is nailed on at RB after a strong season last campaign. Surely he’d get more game time on loan at Newcastle?
As a result, it got me thinking – maybe we just won’t pay the loan fee, mooted to be around £5m (including wages) by some outlets.
Whatever the reason I would just find it both being puzzling and worrying if we can’t land him after seemingly having played all the right cards and being first in the queue.
After all, The Chronicle said he and his camp were ‘delighted’ by our interest last week, Bruce has good connections at Man Utd and has managed Tuanzebe before, not to mention the fact he’s looking for an athletic CB – suggesting Tuanzebe would be the ideal fit and get regular starts as a result.
So, unless he’s picked being a squad player at an ambitious side over a probable starter at a struggling one, it makes you wonder if we’ve just not been able to compete with Villa when it comes to loan fee?
I even see that Tom Davies name cropped up again yesterday! Seriously though are him and Oliver Skipp any better than what we’ve already got, and if we did bring either or both in what would that say to the likes of the Longstaffs and Elliott Anderson who’d be back down the pecking order.
With newly promoted sides spending, Palace showing ambition and Villa blowing us out of the water for a back up centre-back Bruce would surely start, it feels like we’re falling further behind the rest of the Premier League on an almost hourly basis!
