It’s certainly been a transfer window to forget, so far, for Eddie Howe and Newcastle United.

The gaffer made it abundantly clear after our final game of the 2024/25 season that he wanted new signings in quickly.

“Speed is key” was his clear demand, not just because “good players don’t hang around for long”, but because he would’ve clearly liked new additions bedded into his squad well ahead of the 2025/26 kick-off.

But in a new interview with the media, Howe seemed resigned to the idea that any new signings made in the next fortnight likely won’t feature in the opening couple of Premier League fixtures next season, bemoaning the fact time is no longer on our side.

Time a concern – Eddie Howe

Howe asked for speed and efficiency in the transfer market, keen to avoid any long delays and agonising waits for players to sign.

Unfortunately, that’s been exactly what’s happened, with just two senior signings through the door as we prepare for our season opener a week on Saturday.

Howe has now warned that any player we sign between now and the opening weekend’s fixture against Aston Villa may not start immediately, no matter how good they are.

“I know there’s not much time, especially when you consider whoever comes in, and I’m talking any position (not just strikers), up to speed with how we play.”

“And the intricacies of what we do, it’s not easy. It’s not always that easy (for the new signings) to get that straight away.”

“We’re still actively in the market, we’re looking for players.”

We’ve seen it in the past when Howe has brought in big names like Sven Botman that he will indeed still stick with his favourites and players he trusts whilst it takes new signings time to adapt and meet his notoriously high standards.

Isak and Wilson big misses

Based off our four televised pre-season friendlies, it’s abundantly clear that we’re lacking a true goalscoring threat up top at the moment.

Anthony Elanga, Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes have each found the net, but lacking that clinical no.9 is a good reason why we’ve yet to win a game this pre-season campaign.

And though Howe has assured fans that he and the club’s higher-ups are doing what they can to bring a forward in, the current squad has definitely suffered because of it.

“Obviously we lost Callum Wilson, who in himself is a massive loss, and then you add that to Alex, who has not been with us, we’ve certainly felt their absence.”