Newcastle United’s big transfer frustration after £52m deal completed - more to come

Newcastle have made just one first-team ready signing in Sandro Tonali from AC Milan for £52million. While Howe was pleased with the signing of the midfielder, he admitted ‘nothing’ else is close in terms of incomings having experienced some ‘difficult’ days in the opening month of the summer window.

“At times there have been frustrations and difficult days,” he said following Saturday’s 3-2 win at Gateshead. “You want the end result and the best squad you can.

“We know the challenges that we face. Through the summer I’ve been through all the emotions. I’m very pleased to get Sandro in but we know we need more.”

The Magpies have spent over £300million on new signings since the takeover in October 2021. That, along with Howe’s coaching, has helped the club surpass expectations and qualify for the Champions League in the first full season under new ownership.

New signings ‘needed’ at Newcastle United

One of the most telling parts of Howe’s comments was Newcastle’s ‘need’ for new signings as they prepare to compete in the Champions League. The United boss understands the limitations of his squad, as was seen at Gateshead with most first-team regulars watching on from the stands.

“For me, it isn’t a case of we want to do it, we need to do it,” he said on Saturday. “Nothing is close, we are working on that and we need new additions. So there will come a time when we have to move things forward quicker.”

An ‘increased’ budget for Newcastle this summer

The club have continually claimed to be shackled by Financial Fair Play limitations. But after overachieving and qualifying for the Champions League, there was an expectation that the summer transfer budget would be increased

Howe even said as much during a press conference last season.

“That [increased budget] would be an outcome [of Champions League football], yes,” he said back in April. “Definitely, where we finish, that will dictate a large part of what we can and can’t do in the summer.”

Achieving a top four finish allowed Newcastle to sign Sandro Tonali, a player who wouldn’t have been a viable option for the club without the incentive of Champions League football.

But in terms of the budget, not a lot has changed. There is thought to be around £25million left to play with following the purchase of Tonali.

This means United will have to sell players in order to increase the budget and bring more top targets through the door. Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes is the club’s latest major target.

While the player is keen on a move, getting a deal done could be dependent on the future of Allan Saint-Maximin.

“Players are expensive these days and we are working within FFP guidelines which are very difficult for us,” Howe admitted. “We might need to be creative…we have a very strict budget.

“With FFP there are certain things you can be creative on but we don’t have a huge budget to work with. At times there have been frustrations and difficult days [but] we know the challenges that we face.

“We are working hard to do that all summer, I am patient and understand the parameters that we are working in, but I also know the needs that we have.”

Several new additions needed at Newcastle

As it stands, Newcastle’s squad isn’t quite prepared for Champions League football and the toll it can take while battling in the Premier League. We saw in early 2023 how the talented but shallow squad struggled balancing Premier League football along with a Carabao Cup run as they won just one of eight league matches between Boxing Day and March 12.

“The depth of squad is huge for us this season, the competitions that we are in and having three games a week, we need to be able to rotate the team,” Howe added. “To be able to then bring in players who are of equal standard.

“That is what we are looking to do but we know that we have a lot of work to do that.”

The Gateshead match saw Newcastle play without a recognised striker in the squad as Saint-Maximin and Elliot Anderson both had stints up front. Another striker is needed to aid Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak, both of whom missed periods of last season due to injury.

Centre-back, full-back and a winger are also areas Newcastle are looking to strengthen despite Howe starting with six players who have played in the full-back positions for the club at Gateshead. Barnes is the top target at the moment while right-back Tino Livramento has been eyed from Southampton.

Both players would be keen to swap the Championship for Champions League football but the financials of the deal will inevitably be a sticking point, particularly with Livramento given his hefty sell-on clause to former club Chelsea.

Players will have to leave to free wages up, boost the budget and allow for improvements to be made to the squad. The hangover of the Mike Ashley era is still taking its toll with the likes of Ryan Fraser, Jeff Hendrick and Isaac Hayden still tied down to lucrative contracts despite not being in the first-team picture.

A familiar feeling for Newcastle fans

The three previous transfer windows under Howe and the current owners have seen transfer budgets downplayed and the head coach admitting to being frustrated. And with the exception of January where only one major signing was made in Anthony Gordon, Newcastle have always ended up spending well and landing the majority of their top targets.

While Howe’s transfer frustration and FFP talk is nothing new, such frustration coming relatively early in the window and after landing a top target in Tonali suggests progress still hasn’t been as quick as he would have liked.

Fortunately, time is still very much on Newcastle’s side with a month-and-a-half remaining before the window closes. Aside from Sven Botman, the majority of Newcastle’s big money transfers have taken place in the latter stages of their respective transfer windows.

It’s not quite been the summer splurge expected after a top four finish, but there is still plenty of time.