Newcastle United may have some of the wealthiest owners in the Premier League, but that doesn’t guarantee success. The 2022/23 season has gone well, and a top-six finish is a distinct possibility.
Could the January transfer window see an effort made to perhaps even claim a Champions League spot? Eddie Howe might find it a difficult job, though, to sign the players he wants.
You have to go back to the 2011/12 season for the last time United finished higher than tenth in the Premier League. There’s been a relegation and a promotion since then, and so much frustration at the lack of progress at the club.
When the new owners arrived, there were dreams of Newcastle being able to spend vast amounts of money on new players. Would the summer transfer window see international superstars heading to Newcastle? That’s not what happened, but there has still been a massive improvement at the club.
That had already started in the second half of last season. The recruiting of Eddie Howe has been instrumental in Newcastle being turned from relegation candidates into possibly qualifying for European competition.
Money has been spent on players that have already proved themselves in the Premier League and don’t cost a fortune. The main exception to that has been the signings of Alexander Isak and Sven Botman. Isak has proved to be a success and will hopefully continue his excellent start when returning from injury after the World Cup.
The January transfer window is on the horizon, but Howe will need to keep his cards close to his chest and adopt a faultless poker face if he keeps targets a secret, so clubs don’t inflate their prices.
That is a problem that rich clubs face when trying to sign players. Other clubs know full well that Newcastle have far deeper pockets than in the past. That makes transfer negotiations more difficult as clubs ask for higher amounts knowing United can afford to pay that figure.
It is clear, however, that the new owners aren’t just going to spend ridiculous amounts of cash. Chief executive Darren Eales has made it clear that the club must look at bringing in additional commercial revenue to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea. Without that cash injection, Eales says that spending £200 million on transfer fees “isn’t sustainable.”
The chief executive knows that financial fair play rules would make it difficult to go out and spend like there’s no tomorrow. He also knows that the January transfer window shows inflated prices.
We’re likely to see an approach that will be similar to that seen this year. Eddie Howe has been in the Premier League long enough to know the kind of players that fit his plans for Newcastle. That’s already been seen with signings such as Matt Trippier, Nick Pope and Matt Targett. All have been successful, and the days of United having a leaky defence seem to be over.
Newcastle’s transfer policy in recent years has been heavily criticised; however, was it just a case of the wrong manager being employed? Players such as Almiron and Joelinton have often been the **** of jokes made by United fans. They’ve both been transformed by Eddie Howe and are now key figures in the squad. Bruno Guimaraes has also been a big part of the successful start to the season.
The improvement of those players has made life easier for Eddie Howe. Why go out in January and spend a fortune on new signings if they can continue their good form after the World Cup? There will, of course, be plenty of transfer gossip in the coming weeks.
Players such as Moussa Diaby, James Maddison and Leandro Trossard have all been mentioned in the gossip columns. Eddie Howe is maintaining that required poker face and not publicly commenting on just who he’d like to sign in January and future transfer windows.
The World Cup begins in late November, which could change Howe’s plans. Potential transfer targets playing in Qatar could have an impressive World Cup and increase their value. The opposite can happen, of course.
Howe has to ensure that his views on any players who might be impressing him don’t become public knowledge. So far, he’s managed to make sure his plans remain confidential, and if he wants to strengthen his squad and save the club money, that’s what he has to continue to do.