The summer to-do list at NUFC as new owners enter mammoth few months

It’s been an incredible eight months on Tyneside, seeing us go from Mike Ashley, Steve Bruce and impending relegation to ambitious new owners, Eddie Howe and only narrowly missing out on a top 10 finish.

2022 has been a year to remember so far, and it looks set to go from strength to strength as we approach what promises to be a huge summer off the field at St James’ Park.

Here, we look at some of the issues that need to be addressed and key moves our new owners – alongside new sporting director Dan Ashworth – could and should make over the coming months.

1. Add quality in attack

If Callum Wilson stayed fit, I’m confident he’d score between 15 and 20 goals in a ever-improving Newcastle United side that will be looking to break into the top 10 and beyond this coming season.

However, in his two full seasons on Tyneside, he’s only played 44 Premier League games out of a possible 76. He’s reliable in front of goal when fit and an absolute handful too, but his battles with injuries mean we must sign at least one striker this summer.

Dwight Gayle needs to go and Chris Wood is likely to take up the sort of role Daryl Murphy took in the Championship from this point onwards, so signing a senior striker alongside the young and versatile Hugo Ekitike could be a vital move to add guaranteed goals to an attack that tends to look a little blunt without our current number nine.

A quality right winger capable of delivering big numbers could also transform our forward line and take us to the next level, with links to Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby and Leeds’ Raphinha pointing to exactly what we need in that area of the pitch.

2. Shift deadwood and sell smart

There are too many players currently on our books who are either not good enough, way down the pecking order or long-serving pros who need to move on for everyone’s sake.

The likes of Ciaran Clark, Matt Ritchie, Jeff Hendrick and Dwight Gayle need to go, whilst it may be the right time for Isaac Hayden, Federico Fernandez and Karl Darlow to depart after all three have found game time hard to come by at stages of their career where they’ll want to be playing.

Not only would this raise funds – albeit not much – it would create space for new signings, bring the wage bill down and avoid awkward decisions for Eddie Howe when he comes to select his 25-man squad ahead of the new 2022/23 season.

We’ve rarely sold at the right time in recent years, so selling smartly will also be key, with the likes of Jamaal Lascelles and Freddie Woodman striking me as players who could be worth moving on this summer. Miguel Almiron is another, with some of the best soccer betting sites in the USA backing him to return to the MLS if there’s no takers in Italy, Spain or England.

On the flip side, selling Allan Saint-Maximin isn’t something I’m keen on unless someone arrives with silly money. This particular exit rumour isn’t one I’m enjoying as I feel he needs a full season under Howe and still has so much to offer, so hopefully some clarity can be offered on his future ASAP.

3. Secure sponsorship deals

It’s easily forgotten given how much this area of the club was neglected by Mike Ashley, but securing lucrative sponsorship deals will be key to our spending – both this summer and in future transfer windows to come.

Who knows who they’ll strike deals with – Saudi Golf have been mentioned after CEO Majed Al Sorour joined the board last month – however this could take our finances to the next level, enabling us to show ambition in the transfer market while staying within FFP regulations.

5. Sign a top centre-back

Dan Burn has been outstanding and Fabian Schar has been superb since Howe came in, but it’s been clear for several months now that we’re looking to bring in a quality centre-back.

Diego Carlos has gone to Aston Villa and it remains to be seen who’ll win the race for Sven Botman, who appears to be our top target in this department.

Whether we end up with the latter or have to look elsewhere, this is an area where fresh blood, athleticism and the ability to carry the ball out of the back would be much welcomed.

Not only would an injection of class help us play the Eddie Howe way, we may need more than one new centre-back if the likes of Fernandez, Clark and Lascelles move on.

6. Support Elliot Anderson’s development

It was always clear from U23 games I attended that Elliot Anderson had something special, but his loan spell at Bristol Rovers made so many sit up and take note of the 19-year-olds talent!

He is a special player who must be managed carefully over the coming months. Howe will almost certainly hand him a chance to impress over pre-season, so it’ll be very interesting to see what comes next.

If he’s loaned out again, we must find the right club at the right level, especially when too many of our youngsters have endured damaging and poorly thought out moves away in recent years.

If he stays, a path to regular game time must be clear, as it could harm him, not help him, to spend most of the season sat on the bench, albeit it at Premier League level.

7. Discover more Bruno’s

Last but certainly not least, it would be great to see the club use Bruno Guimaraes’ arrival as a blue print for future business.

By that I mean targeting young gems who have bundles of quality and bags of character who buy into this exciting new project at St James’ Park.

The Brazilian wants to become a ‘legend’ on Tyneside. Wouldn’t it be great if we could bring in others who arrive with his passion, spark and determination to take the Premier League by storm in a black and white shirt!

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

310 thoughts on “The summer to-do list at NUFC as new owners enter mammoth few months

  1. There is only 1 choice for new PM. Step forward Stephen Roger Bruce. He is a fat, ugly fck just like Boris and throws all of his friends under the bus. He also has a host of fawning toadies in the media. He spends more time on holiday than at work. But, he probably wouldnt want to take the pay cut, and what would the Steves and Alex do to steal a living? Maybe one of the Steve’s could be Minister of Sports?

    His press conferences are just as bad as Boris’s so he might have a future in politics.

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  2. Hi Sharpy
    Thanks for the thoughts mate. Top man!
    I am all good as I am on the west coast. The poor buggers in NSW and Qld and copping a beating weather wise. A lot of it is in low laying areas though. Tough times for those involved.

    Sharpy17:
    Aussie – don’t know if you’re out there buddy but hope those floods haven’t hit you or any of your friends/family to badly mate.

    More rainfall in 1 day than London gets in a whole year – horrible stuff & not what you expect in Aus ?.

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  3. Aussie – good man, as long as you’re well ??.

    We obviously get hit a lot with floods over here & it’s just horrible. It must be devastating seeing everything you’ve worked so hard for getting washed away & there’s nothing you can do to stop it – same with the wildfires.

    You all happy & excited about all things NUFC like mate?

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  4. Aussie:
    Hi Sharpy
    Thanks for the thoughts mate. Top man!
    I am all good as I am on the west coast. The poor buggers in NSW and Qld and copping a beating weather wise. A lot of it is in low laying areas though. Tough times for those involved.

    get in your boat and look for Richie

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  5. So we beat the Heed 5-1 in the first friendly of the season. Miggy 2, Joelinton, S Longstaff and Ritchie score.

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  6. I think there are a few players we could actually get money for if we chose to sell them, but Eddie seems to have said he wants some continuity and that we will not replace half a squad in one window. They are:

    Shelvey – I reckon he proved to be a good asset under Howe. The lad has a good footballing brain, you just have to figure out the right role for him given his lack of pace. Having Big Joe, Bruno and Little Joe doing his running will help. It is a bit like Shearer and Bellemy. DO NOT LET HIM TAKE FREE KICKS OR CORNERS.

    Lascelles – he is not a bad player but is prone to the odd mistake. The problem was that under Brucie there was a constant onslaught from the opposition so his lack of composure on the ball was highlighted. If we are pressing and going forward there may be a place for Jamaal.

    Lewis – he was injured. I would like to see what he can do in preseason. I wouldnt sell him as there were glimpses of him overlapping with Maxi.

    Miggy – I don’t know about Miggy. One more chance? He hass talent but has lacked end product. If we get another wide player, I think I would sell. He didnt exactly have that many forwards to pass to though!

    The bottom line is that we have a bloated squad so someone will have to go in addition the the players already demoted to the U23s.

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  7. Under no circumstances should we loan Gayle to WBA. Bruce is a lucky so and so and has led a charmed life. The Baggies have signed a couple of decent players and even the Cabbage might not be able to mess it up if we send him Gayle. It would be a nightmare for me to see them in the playoff spots and us mid-table. You just know we would be the main event on TalkSport every F-ing day with Simon Jordon doing his pompous I-told-you so act.

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  8. I am not saying we can build a top 6 team around the players I just mentioned, but they can be backups if you have better players as 1st choice. And you need backups because players get injured.

    Look at Fergie’s teams. He had players of lower quality than I just named who would step in. Yer Tom Cleverly’s, Phil Jones’, Nicky Butts and Phil Nevilles. Sprinkle in a Ronaldo or Van Nistlerooy and you would probably still win!

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