'Not 100%' - Eddie Howe doesn't rule out shock Newcastle United transfer as fresh approach made
The transfer window is closed for Newcastle United but Eddie Howe couldn’t ‘100%’ rule out further exits from his squad.
Newcastle United’s summer transfer business is done and Eddie Howe’s side are set to return to Premier League action this weekend against Wolverhampton Wanderers at St James’ Park (3pm kick-off).
While The Magpies agreed a significant departure on deadline day with Alexander Isak completing a Premier League record transfer to Liverpool for £130million, other potential exits did not transpire.
Newcastle made Harrison Ashby available to leave the club on loan with the hope of the 23-year-old joining a Championship side but that failed to materialise. William Osula was also linked with a deadline day exit but nothing came of it despite strong links to Eintracht Frankfurt and Aston Villa.
Osula’s inclusion in Newcastle’s Champions League squad and Yoane Wissa’s subsequent injury rules out any potential exit for the Danish forward.
Even though the summer transfer window has closed for English clubs, there are still transfer windows open on the continent and further afield that would give wantaway players a chance to secure a move.
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Newcastle United captain linked with exit
The Turkish, Greek and Mexican transfer windows close on Friday, September 12.
And with time running out for those clubs to make signings, one Newcastle player has been linked with a surprise exit.
According to Mail Online, Trabzonspor are looking at a potential move for Newcastle centre-back Jamaal Lascelles. It’s not the first time Lascelles has been linked with a move to Turkey with Turkish reports emerging in January 2024 that he was subject to interest from Besiktas, but it failed to materialise.
A couple of months later, Lascelles picked up a serious ACL injury in a 4-3 win over West Ham United in St James’ Park and is yet to feature in a competitive game since.
During his time out, Lascelles has effectively lost his captaincy to Bruno Guimaraes and watched on as Newcastle won the Carabao Cup and qualified for the Champions League last season. The 31-year-old has since been left out of Newcastle’s Champions League squad and is out of contract at the end of the season.
Given he is behind Dan Burn, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw in the defensive pecking order at Newcastle, a move for Lascelles would arguably suit the player.
But head coach Eddie Howe wants to keep his squad together heading into a busy period of matches.
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Eddie Howe addresses NUFC exit speculation
When asked about a potential exit for Lascelles or any other player, Howe said: “I do not 100% know what's going to happen with the whole squad.
“I'd imagine time's running out on certain windows. So, certainly from my viewpoint, I'd want to keep the squad together now.”
Lascelles is Newcastle’s longest-serving player having first joined the club from Nottingham Forest in 2014. He has made over 250 appearances for The Magpies and captained the side since 2016, leading the club to promotion from the Championship in his first season with the armband.