There was understandably much frustration from Newcastle fans when we failed to bring in any new players during the recent January transfer window.
Even after our lavish spending last summer, Eddie Howe’s squad is still criminally short for talent and depth in key areas, and whilst spending as a whole was down for most Premier Leagues (Manchester City being the obvious outlier), the fact no loans were even considered by us seems like a big missed opportunity.
Howe had warned us earlier in the campaign that we shouldn’t have been expecting much in terms of winter activity, as the spectre of PSR is something we still have to pay attention to.
However, a new report should bring some good news to the fans and Howe himself, as it looks like we’ll again be in a good position to flex some financial muscles in the summer…
It looks like Newcastle United will have funds available this summer, not only due to the £125m sale of Alexander Isak, but due to the new financial rules that should benefit our spending power.
Whilst there are still internal limitations, which may stop us bringing in big name players, thanks to the our well-established, ‘disciplined’ wage structure, the implementation of Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rules are expected to help us.
Writing in the ‘Will they have money to spend?’ section of a recent piece for The Athletic, Chris Waugh said:
“Yes. The £125million ($172.4m) British-record sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool in September had a transformative effect on Newcastle’s finances and there is capacity to invest in multiple incomings during the off-season (even after spending an initial £241m last summer).
“There are still limitations to what Newcastle can spend — especially on wages, with their disciplined salary structure still significantly lower than the so-called ‘Big Six’ average — but there is strong room for manoeuvre. The introduction of Premier League squad cost rules (SCR) in place of PSR, which moves the system from being loss-based to ratio-based, for next season should also benefit Newcastle.
“While strategic sales may be made to offset Newcastle’s incomings, offloading a key player against their will is not expected to be necessary.”
Last summer, the permanent sales of Sean Longstaff to Leeds United and Lloyd Kelly to Juventus was pure profit for us. And considering Joe Willock’s uncertain future on Tyneside, the English midfielder could give us a big boost with a £20m+ sale to a rival Premier League club.
Howe, alongside sporting director Ross Wilson and the entire recruitment team, have a big job on their hands with rebuilding and replacing a large portion of our current squad.
There’s no certainty over Aaron Ramsdale’s loan being made permanent, and next season will likely be Nick Pope’s final year with us after a one year extension on his current deal was triggered. So a new young goalkeeper is absolutely paramount: would it be any surprise if we continued our pursuit for James Trafford after the former Burnley man’s misfire of a move to Manchester City?
The defence also needs reinforcements, with the likes of Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar set to depart this summer upon their contracts expiring. Two fullbacks and two centre backs are an essential, particularly if we anticipate some renewed interest from Manchester City in Tino Livramento’s signature.
Even though we brought in over £120m worth of forwards in the aforementioned Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, Will Osula’s likely going to the Bundesliga and Howe is still looking for a consistent goalscorer that fits his system. Shall we be expecting some more big money spent on a striker this summer?
And we can anticipate a young midfielder is also brought in, again to add depth to the team but to also future proof the side as Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes get older and older. AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit was pursued, but his stock rising so fast means he’s likely bound for a club on Real Madrid’s level. Even so, there’s still plenty of young talent on the continent we can look to bring in.
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