Newcastle United 'huge concern' after West Ham United & Brighton transfer deals

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Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe admitted it would be a ‘huge concern’ if rival clubs continued to strengthen while his side did not.

Newcastle are yet to make a major signing in 2024 with the free transfer of Lloyd Kelly the only addition that has provided serious competition to Howe’s starting line-up. Meanwhile, clubs in and around them in the Premier League have strengthened this summer.

West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United, all of whom finished below Newcastle in the Premier League last season, have made several major signings while Howe’s side have not.

And Howe admitted it was a concern.

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“Of course [it’s a concern], because if your competition is improving and you're not then that is a huge concern,” he said. “Again, Brighton have historically have sold players and brought in a lot of revenue and income but we haven't. So we're in a difficult situation regarding PSR and that is the major problem for us that we can't do what other teams are doing currently.

“That makes the challenge harder for us and harder for me but that's the environment we're in and we have to find a way to still be successful.”

Howe suggested that Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules have significantly impacted Newcastle’s ability to do business despite admitting the club had a substantial amount of money available to spend this summer.

“Yes [there money available to spend] but it had to absolutely be the right player,” Howe admitted. “Of course the more the window has gone on, the right player becomes very hard to find.

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“You’ve also got to understand that that decision impacts us in future windows and our PSR situation drastically. I think you’ll then understand the importance of every decision you’re making so if you’re not absolutely certain of this being the right direction to take, you can’t take it and you’ll have to make that decision another day.”

Previous summer windows have seen Newcastle invest significant sums in new signings with the likes of Alexander Isak, Sven Botman, Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes joining for large transfer fees. This summer has been a different story and Howe was asked whether the club are now facing the consequences of spending lavishly and taking ‘risks’ regarding PSR.

“No, I don't think so,” Howe responded. “If you go back to when I first came to the club, PSR wasn't really talked about, it's only something that has become relevant after the points deductions some of the clubs suffered last year that has brought it home to everybody just how important it is not to breach PSR and how important that is.

“That continues to be the narrative that we can't escape short term. So what can we do with that situation? We have to be very smart and very careful with what we do right now because in future windows we could be hamstrung if we make the wrong decision.

“There's a lot that goes into it, it's not as clear as maybe everyone thinks of it.”

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