Not so long ago, Newcastle United seemed to have cracked the code in the transfer market.
It felt like we had a brilliant model, a blueprint for success that saw us pluck some of the brightest young talents about and transform them into Premier League stars.
🇧🇷 Bruno Guimarães, our cup-winning captain, arrived for a very decent £40 million. A midfield maestro, a leader, and a fan favourite – an absolute steal.
🇳🇱 Sven Botman, arguably the best centre-back at the club, came in for the same price. A rock at the back, anchoring our defence with a composure beyond his years.
🇸🇪 Alexander Isak, who many (myself included) would argue is the best striker in the world, arrived for £63 million. His pace, his finishing, his sheer brilliance – electrifying!
🇮🇹 Then there’s Sandro Tonali. Even with his initial challenges, he’s bounced back and could go on to become one of our best ever signings. A midfield general in the making, he can do it all and he cost us £55 million.
That’s just our overseas gems, without going picking our your Lewis Hall’s, Anthony Gordon’s and TIno Livramento’s, who were all calculated risks and not the ready made product, but have quickly become England players worth twice what we paid.
These were shrewd, forward-thinking acquisitions that not only bolstered our squad but also felt like investments for our future. We were getting top-tier talent, young and hungry, ready to make their mark on the Premier League and beyond.
But lately, it feels like something has shifted. Why are we suddenly so focused on “Premier League proven” players when the previous blueprint worked so well. I’d also question if we can afford to focus on domestic deals, with the Premier League premium something to consider when we want quality additions in goal, at centre-back, on the right wing and up top.
And it hasn’t been so fruitful over the past 12 months. A Marc Guehi saga that ended in frustration, Dean Huijsen heading to Real Madrid, Bryan Mbeumo proving too much, Joao Pedro opting for Chelsea and Anthony Elanga a potentially ideal fit, but £60 million? That’s Nottingham Forest’s price according to report, and would represent quite an overpay.
It’s sometimes like we’re craving champagne-level signings on more of a prosecco budget, and something’s got to give, with the domestic market horribly inflated and deals harder to keep quiet when shopping closer to home.
By that I mean, we are chasing the premium deals and aren’t having much success, all while value for money gems on the continent could be pursued instead?
The reality is, we don’t have the endless budget of some of our rivals. Our model, the one that brought us the likes of Bruno, Botman, Isak and Tonali, was about smart scouting everywhere, identifying potential, looking for value and nurturing it. It was about finding those diamonds in the rough, or at least, those slightly less polished gems who would shine brightly on Tyneside.
We need to get back to that. We need more Bruno type signings – players with immense talent, who might not necessarily have the “Premier League proven” tag, but who actually want to be here and have the potential to become absolute legends at our club. Let’s not abandon the strategy that had been working so well.
What do you reckon? Are we chasing the wrong kind of transfers with our pursuits so far all hitting dead ends – or will perseverance prevail and budgets hold out!?
Unless the club is completely amateur then they should have done their due diligence months ago. They would know how much their targets cost months ago also so it stinks to think that half way through the window we need to change strategy.
This is just filling in time whilst the club are so slow at doing deals.
Bob Dodsworth(Quote)
I think we are in a difficult position, and perhaps victims of our own success to a degree.
The team on the pitch has overperformed and outpaced the commercial growth off the pitch.
This leaves us in a position where there aren’t players that we can afford on transfer fee and wages that would improve our first XI or the squad.
But ultimately the time to judge how successful the window has been is the end of August rather than the start of July.
I suspect we will have 3-4 new players in the side at that point.
Johnny Mac(Quote)
I agree and I like your optimism. They keep talking about the very small pool of players who actually improve the first time and that is true. Very easy to improve a championship to mid table team. At this point off field is just as important as on field.
Nick(Quote)
You don’t have to be Mystic Meg to realise what will happen if the needed incoming transfers fall short, Howe will have to change his strategy, because of the increased number of games next season he will have to play Academy players earlier than planned, which he seems reluctant to do!
Peter Beaumont(Quote)