Newcastle United faced a turbulent period with £68m signings and key exits, while frustration grew over agent messages regarding star players. Despite efforts, the club’s summer transfer window ended without major additions, leaving questions about the future of key figures like Alexander Isak.
Newcastle Hit by £68m Signings and Two Exits
Multiple players were rumored to be leaving St James’ Park as the club faced the possibility of violating Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Bruno Guimaraes had a £100million release clause, while Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak drew interest from Liverpool and Chelsea.
The Magpies successfully retained their star trio and generated the necessary funds by selling Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh for a total of £68million to Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion. Sean Longstaff revealed that he and his teammates were all concerned about being sold, stating to reporters in Japan, “The way it seemed, I think everyone sort of had their price.”
Behind the scenes, Howe and his team were shaken by two additional departures as Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi sold their shares to the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and RB Sports & Media, with an 85%/15% split. This led to a restructuring at the top of the club, with Paul Mitchell joining as sporting director and Darren Eales, who is set to step down as CEO in the coming months due to a chronic blood cancer diagnosis, taking on more responsibilities.
The summer transfer window ended in disappointment as Newcastle were unable to secure a deal for £70million-rated Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, despite weeks of pursuit. As a result, Howe’s squad did not bring in any major signings.
Are occupying ninth position in the Premier League after eight games, Howe acknowledges that achieving team harmony has been a challenge.
“I do think it was a difficult summer, as I’ve said many times, for lots of different reasons,” said Howe. “It wasn’t just one thing; it was a catalog of things that were always going to make a difference.
“I always think when you’re talking about players, it’s very easy to go, ‘Well, the players should be able to forget that and just focus on his football.’ In an ideal world, yes, of course. But when you have multiple players affected by different things, It becomes harder, and the general feel of the squad at the start of the season was different from how it has been in previous years.
“Now my job and everyone’s job connected with the club is to get sort of that focus absolutely back and the harmony back absolutely where it should be, but I think it’s taking us longer than when he initially hoped.”
Newcastle Frustrated by Agents’ Message to Magpies Star
Eddie Howe ended the summer transfer window without the reinforcements he sought, failing to finalize a long pursuit of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.
The Magpies also made a late push for a winger, but their attempts to persuade Nottingham Forest to sell Anthony Elanga were unsuccessful.
They may soon face a battle to retain key striker Alexander Isak, who is drawing interest from both domestic and international clubs.
A new contract could help retain Isak, but with his current salary of approximately £150,000 a week, raising it further may lead to PSR concerns, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.
Isak could receive significantly higher wages at another club, and his agents have informed him of this.
Newcastle is frustrated by this, but they recognize that they can’t prevent it from happening due to the strong interest in Isak.
Although several clubs have been linked with Isak, Newcastle has yet to receive any offers for the striker.
He has four years remaining on his contract, but if a new deal isn’t signed by next summer, it could prompt potential suitors to make a move for him.
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