Eddie Howe sends Newcastle United PSR transfer warning after £68m agreement

After making no senior signings last January, Newcastle experienced an underwhelming summer transfer window in which they failed to land top target Marc Guehi. Lloyd Kelly, who joined on a free transfer, is the only summer signing to start a Premier League game for The Magpies this season.

And after being ‘forced’ to sell Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh for a combined fee of £68million to comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules, Newcastle’s squad arguably ended the summer weaker than how they started it.

While Howe has previously warned of a quiet January transfer window, he explained the club’s stance on transfers heading into the new year.

“What I will say is that trading is essential,” Howe said. “Both in and out - to the model of PSR. The days where teams don't sell players are, unless your revenue streams are so big, are gone.

“Our revenue streams aren't where we want them to be.

"We are trying to grow them so I think trading in and out is going to be essential. Hopefully, it is not going to be players that we are forced to sell like we were in that situation [in June selling Anderson and Minteh] with a couple of days with deadlines approaching. Hopefully, it is a more stable setting but you can't guarantee anything.”

It will be the first full transfer window under new sporting director Paul Mitchell after he played a ‘supporting role’ in the summer. Mitchell suggested changes were needed to Newcastle’s recruitment strategy in order to keep the club moving forward while complying with PSR.

“That's a difficult one to answer,” Howe said when asked about changes to the club’s recruitment strategy. “Every transfer will be different. There may well have to be an adjustment, but it has to be taken on an individual basis.

“Signings like Will Osula, which was very much with a view to potential in the future, a player we really like, will be a different kind of signing to Alex [Isak], who was brought in for the here and now to hit the ground running straight away.

“It very much depends on what your need is, but I do get the question that if PSR will continue to be an issue for us for the next few years ahead, we're going to have to be smart and that's the key thing. We're going to have to be clever with what we do.

“It doesn't mean we can't hopefully make big signings and players for the here and now who are ready to play, but maybe not all under that category at the same time.”

On the suggestion Newcastle will have to ‘sell to buy’, Howe said: “The issue with PSR and the issue with our position is that nothing’s ever clear cut. I’d need some time to sit down and sort of go through everything with you, which I’m not going to do anyway, so that’s irrelevant!

“We will try and do our best. Nothing’s absolutely fixed at the moment. There’ll be a lot of twists and turns, but the want from everyone internally is to try and improve the squad. If we can do, we will. If we can’t, we won’t.”