it’s not that deep, we need 3 first team improvements - GK, RCB and RW - then 3 lesser known or younger improvements on Wilson, Targett/Krafth and Longstaff. It doesn’t feel like we’re particularly close to doing any of it.
I think £44m for Barnes has turned into a decent purchase. I suppose it depends how you want the club to operate. It felt like we were close to Guehi last summer, yes it didn't happen in the end, but that's likely to be the only way we feel like progress is being made on signings. Unfortunately Newcastle aren't going to send transfer email shots out to fans to advise on who they are working on signing. I thought we were fairly close to getting Mbeumo as, in my mind, Newcastle was the ideal destination for him based on playing style and CL opportunities.
It’s puzzling as we recently seem to go for players when they are at their most expensive and likely to have a lot of interest and unrealistic salary expectations. Why our continental interest has dried up is a mystery.
You don't even know that our continental interest has dried up. The last transfer window in which we had enough money to really recruit for the first team, we brought in Tonali. Also, the majority of our signings, though they cost quite a bit, have appreciated in value. You seem to be basing your opinions on media rumors rather than established facts.
I wonder what the issues are at the club, do PIF have no idea what they're doing, are we so shackled by PSR that we cant buy a 10p mix-up, is Howe presented with a list of players and goes "nah, never played away at Stoke on a wet wednesday night"?
We spent everything we could to the point where we very publicly had to emergency sell players to fend off PSR points deductions. It's not a great big mystery. If we do nothing this summer, that will be deserving of big questions as to why. However, there is a lot of transfer window to go and no call to be getting frustrated yet. We will have some constraints still, though that should ease at the start of July when a £70m+ loss drops off of the three year PSR cycle.
Why is everyone in a rush? Since the takeover, the club has often bided time to get the right player, for the price they are happy to pay. And yes, Roly will cite Barnes - again. But then I will counter with Bruno, Isak, Tonali, Botman, Gordon, Tino, Hall - all now 1st team starters. Backed up by Tripps, Burn & Pope, who were all exactly what we needed at the time. It's not a race. Let's once again get the right players at the right price. If the likes of Mbeumo are deemed the right player, but not at the right price, then we move along. Let Man U overpay for him instead.
Barnes got 9 league goals this season, which was more than Murphy or Gordon and by the end he was keeping Gordon out the team. It's very hard to call him a mistake these days. Not as much if a success yet as Tonali, Isak, Bruno, etc, but he's definitely improved this season. It's not like Mbeumo was likely to demand the stupid wages he's asking for of £250kpw, I don't think anyone expected that. He's used the buzz around him of last season for total greed and priced himself out of us, despite the fact he could have easily had a big increase from his current wage with us.
For Roly: The club are opeining talks with Callum Wilson and John Ruddy about possible extensions to their contracts, which are currently due expire at the end of June.
The better news - Jamal Lewis and Lloyd Kelly are officially no longer our responsibility. One assumes the Ruddy extension is kinda perfunctory, ie the forth choice keeper who never plays, but we need in the squad, so Ruddy on lowish money makes sense. Wilson makes less sense, 1 goal in 22 games this season is not great.
We've also extended Gillespie's contract, so that's 5 keepers if we do retain Ruddy (without selling anyone).
I can't see any updates on Joe White or Jay Turner-Cook on the retained list article (as either retained, released, or under new contract talks). Yet both are at end of contract and both have featured in the first team squad.
People pissing the bed over Wilson. It's a pay per play contract. He'll be third/ fourth choice behind Isak, new striker and Osula. I said yesterday that we won't sign anyone until after 1st July and stick by it. Kelly sale completes 30th June so we shift £150k per week wages and receive £20 million. Three year loss period resets meaning we can spend big and spend the next three years building commercial income and aim for top 4 every season. The signings will come and people will be left with major egg on their faces.
Hang on, are you saying you're not literally ****ting the bed? In that case you must be a deluded happy clapper. THERE IS NO IN BETWEEN.
