Howe hints at early moves, reveals transfer dilemma and issues strong Isak message
Although the final four games of the 2024/25 season is Eddie Howe's major focus, the boss was asked a number of transfer-related questions in Friday morning's press conference.
The boss discussed the potential for us to strike early deals and pounce on other clubs' PSR issues, discussed the decisions ahead on the spread of our summer spending and had a strong message on Alexander Isak's future.
Newcastle will look to capitalise on PSR problems
Asked if we could take advantage of Premier League rivals' PSR issues and pounce on potential targets before the June 30th deadline, Howe admitted that the club are looking to use this new dynamic "to our advantage."
As we know, this situation was reversed last summer as we regretfully lost Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton, with both sales required to avoid a PSR breach and potential points deduction.
But, almost 12 months on, could it be Newcastle that capitalise on other clubs' problems in the early stages of the summer?
"I’ve made it clear last year that there’s almost two transfer windows now," Howe said. "The PSR deadline (June 30th) plays a huge role for clubs – both those clubs with PSR issues and those without, because those without may potentially look to try to sign players.
"They will look to take advantage of other clubs, as clubs did to us last year, quite rightly. It’s a really interesting dynamic, one that we’re aware of and that we’ll try to use to our advantage, if we can."
He added, "I can’t go into details but we’ve got people at the club who are working very hard behind the scenes on it," with the final line suggesting that our recruitment team are busy working on potential early deals.
Howe on 'big signings' and the dilemma we face
A few days ago, The Telegraph revealed that Newcastle would love to sign Bryan Mbeumo this summer - but must work out whether they can afford his £60m-plus price tag when moves for a goalkeeper, centre-back and striker must also be funded.
Asked about striking the balance and the dilemmas we are dealing with, Howe said: "Going for one player that's more expensive but is going to be a real game-changer....or spreading that cost to improve the squad and have more depth?"
"We're talking about these decisions regularly and trying to come up with the right conclusion, so I don't know the answer at the minute."
Isak is 'not for sale'
Last but certainly not least, Howe issued a strong message on Alexander Isak's future when Luke Edwards asked if a 'not for sale' tag had been slapped on the Swede.
In a firm but encouraging response, the boss insisted we want to build a side around our best players and add to the squad this summer, not weaken it, believing new arrivals this summer will make a "massive difference" after a few windows without major signings.
Howe said: “He (Isak) is not for sale from my perspective. I want to build a squad and I want the strongest squad possible for next season. There is a lot to look forward to here, hopefully.
"The end of the season is crucial for us. I think we have a strong squad and if we can add players for the first time in a few windows, that will make a massive, massive difference for us. That’s what I’m focussing on, not the other way around.”
