George Caulkin answers big questions on NUFC’s summer plans and 6 targets – Well worth a read

In his latest mailbag piece for The Athletic, North East reporter George Caulkin has answered a host of questions on Newcastle United’s summer transfer plans.

He accepts that the club rarely give much away on budgets, but believes the current guide is around £100m, where two ‘elite’ signings could be followed by a few bargains and a potential loan to improve our squad depth.

However, the caveat is our new owners have nearly always spent more than they’ve briefed at the start of each window. He adds that ‘things were beginning to kick into gear’ on the transfer front last week, as Eddie Howe would ‘love’ to have the bulk of his business done well before the new season kicks off in under two months time.

Five signings are wanted – a CB, LB, CDM, CM and wide forward. Caulkin believes James Maddison ‘will happen’ if he wants to make the move, but his comments on Nicolo Barella suggest talk of his arrival on Tyneside are premature, for now.

Wolfsburg’s Felix Nmecha is a cut-price option on our radar – although we are thought to be prioritising other deals for now – and Nice’s Khepren Thuram is mentioned once again as a player we’re very fond of. We have ‘longstanding interest’ in Moussa Diaby and Dominik Szoboszlai, but both are out of our price range at present. Caulkin says this message has ‘come from the club’, so it remains to be seen if that’s a PR move to push prices down or an accurate representation of our FFP battles.

Before answering a host of questions on our budget, FFP, transfer plans and six names heavily linked, he kicks off by explaining how their information comes about:

“How do I work? How do we work at The Athletic? We have a high bar. We report when we have multiple sources saying the same thing. For a long time, we’ve known the kind of positions Newcastle want to strengthen, we know who and what we can rule out, and we know it because of speaking to people inside the club. When we hear something credible, we check it out, check it out again and finally report.“

Caulkin when asked about potential budget, wage structure and FFP:

“It’s actually very rare that clubs say, whether internally or to journalists: “We have X amount to spend this summer.” Budgets tend to be more fluid and complicated. It’s not just about fees, it’s about how those fees are structured and it’s also about wages. That’s a big thing at Newcastle, who have a low upper rate for a top-four club, with the biggest earners commanding in the region of £120,000 a week. As far as possible, they want to maintain discipline and harmony in the dressing room.

“But clubs do make plans and set them out. I interviewed Amanda Staveley when she first attempted to buy Newcastle (before the involvement of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund) and she spoke about investing £100million over her first two transfer windows, then the same again on the training ground and the academy. This time, before the takeover happened, she and her football advisers had mapped out budgets (for different amounts) for the first couple of years.

“The message has always been the same: prudent spending, growing the team window after window, and getting Newcastle into a position where they can be sustainable. Did anything change? Hell, yes. In the first window, they pushed the boat out because of the threat of relegation. In the second, they acted swiftly to sign Alexander Isak once Callum Wilson picked up an injury, and in the third, they brought forward the planned signing of Anthony Gordon and paid in cash to take advantage of Everton’s financial problems.

“All those things made talk of prudence look foolish, except it’s something they keep repeating. January, they insist, took them to the limit of what they can do with FFP and although the Champions League and new commercial deals all help, this summer will be relatively tight. Earlier this week, an executive at the club asked me what I thought they could do to get the message out about FFP. I expect them to talk about it publicly soon.

“Are journalists any more “obsessed” by budgets than fans? Our entire sport is (sadly) obsessed with money and transfers. From conversations, my understanding is that Newcastle will look to spend around the £100million mark and, the way things are looking now, the bulk of it will go on two quality, elite players with the rest made up of bargains and perhaps loans. This is just a guide, though, and perhaps not very useful.

“The other caveat is one I’ve mentioned above. Newcastle have pushed things in every other window when circumstances have demanded it (which is a good thing; it shows they can be flexible and react quickly). Somewhere down the line, though, they will have to begin balancing the books and bring money in. All the big clubs do it. It can’t just all be in one direction.“

Caulkin when asked if we’ll sign ‘one or two’ before pre-season training begins next month:

“There was a sense that things were beginning to kick into gear last week. Someone at the top of the club told me it was time to get the window sorted but that’s easier said than done. It’s hope rather than expectation.

“Howe would love to have the whole of pre-season to work with new players — it’s when his alchemy happens — but it’s tough when you’re looking at signings who can improve the fourth-best team in the Premier League and he’s already admitted “this will be our hardest window to date”.

“The market is a gigantic game of poker; there’s an opportunity to nip in early and get a good deal or two, but the window stretches until September 1 and it’s often in the interest of selling clubs to wait.“

Caulkin on Newcastle’s top priorities in this summer’s transfer market:

“Newcastle would ideally like to strengthen with a centre-back, a full-back, two midfielders — one defensive — and a wide forward. Midfield is the priority, Dom, because Howe wants to push Bruno Guimaraes higher up the pitch, but tactical and positional flexibility has become a theme in this team. Newcastle have a lot of players who can play in various positions.’

“I think this has been widely accepted for some time, that Eddie Howe wants / needs another right-footed central defender, with then potentially Lascelles leaving, another left-back, the defensive midfielder, then another couple of signings towards the front end – one a midfielder and the other a versatile attacker.“

Caulkin on James Maddison:

‘Howe’s regard for James Maddison is well known and I think he would be a transformative signing, but where does he play? Is that (position) really the priority? I don’t think he is and neither do Newcastle, but if they could get him, they certainly would… depending on how realistic Leicester City are about a fee (Maddison has a year left on his contract), rival suitors and personal terms.’

“Leicester City have to sell James Maddison this summer, Newcastle United have already had two previous offers rejected. My feeling is that if Maddison himself wants to come to Newcastle then this deal will happen. With relegation and only one year left on the player’s contract, the Foxes are anything but in control of this situation. Maybe he will go to Tottenham… but my guesstimate is that Newcastle are Maddison’s preference and Leicester will be forced to compromise on an NUFC deal. Otherwise it would / could be a real financial disaster if the window ended and Maddison remained at the King Power.”

Caulkin on Nicolo Barella:

‘Nicolo Barella has been on Newcastle’s shortlist for a midfield role and is a player Howe would love to work with. There was a representative from Inter Milan in London last week but when this story broke, we were told there had been no official contact between the clubs. As far as I’m aware, that’s still the case.’

Caulkin on Nmecha, Diaby, Szoboszlai and Thuram:

“The Wolfsburg player (Felix Nmecha) is another name on Howe’s list; a younger, cheaper option, albeit with pedigree. 

“He started his career at Manchester City and has played for Germany this year — but at the moment, Newcastle are prioritising elsewhere.

“We reported earlier this month that while there has been a longstanding interest in players like Moussa Diaby of Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai, both fall out of Newcastle’s price range at present; that has come from within the club, although I’m always wary of being definitive so soon into the window. They also like Khephren Thuram of Nice.“

Caulkin on Newcastle’s ongoing pursuit of youth talent:

“There aren’t two separate bank accounts, so in that sense, it all comes from the same place. There are, though, two distinct strategies within the football department: growing the first team and growing what lies beneath, with Dan Ashworth aggressively pursuing bright, young talent following his appointment as sporting director. It’s an area that has been neglected over the years.

“The big idea is that in future years, if Newcastle need a winger, say, they look at what they already have rather than immediately reaching for the chequebook.

“As Ashworth said late last year: “We have to look at some emerging talent, enhancing our academy and getting the players through from a different route.”

“It’s also investment for investment’s sake; loaning out and selling young players to keep money coming back into the coffers. Again, all the big clubs do it.“