With Financial Fair Play constraints to take into account and the margins between success and failure in football becoming smaller and smaller every season, clubs across the world can’t afford too many mistakes in the transfer market.
One bad transfer window could impact not only the forthcoming season, but have ramifications in years to come.
Newcastle, with dreams of breaking into football’s elite, certainly cannot afford to make too many, if any, mistakes in their recruitment this summer.
To do that, they will certainly want to avoid some major mistakes they have made in the transfer market in the not too distant past.
Here, in order of when they joined the club, we take a look at 16 of Newcastle United’s worst signings of the last decade.
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1. Luuk de Jong
De Jong spent half a season on-loan at Newcastle United during the second half of the 2013/14 season. In 12 appearances, de Jong failed to find the net before moving back to the Netherlands. Photo: Steve Bardens
2. Remy Cabella
Cabella joined Newcastle ahead of the 2014/15 season as the club tried to recapture their ‘French revolution’ successes of a few years previous. However, he would score just one Premier League goal during his time on Tyneside before moving to Marseille on-loan in summer 2015. Photo: LINDSEY PARNABY
3. Facundo Ferreyra
Where to start with this one? Ferreyra had enjoyed success in Ukraine and joined the Magpies on-loan with plenty of hope and expectation that he could at least provide depth to their attack. Ferreyra never made a senior competitive appearance for Newcastle before rejoining his parent club after a season on Tyneside. Photo: Paul Thomas
4. Siem de Jong
Following in his younger brother’s footsteps, de Jong joined Newcastle for £6m in the summer of 2014. At the time, de Jong's stock had been rising and his signature seemed like a coup for the club. However, he would play just 26 times in all competitions after an injury laden time at the club before joining Ajax in 2017 for a fraction of the fee Newcastle paid for his services three years previous. Photo: BEN STANSALL