No. It seems literally unbelievable that we've made one first team signing since Tonali over two years ago. Hall was here on loan and backup to Burn, Barnes behind Gordon and Tino was also brought in behind Trippier. Since then we've had Jan '24, Summer '24 and Jan '25 with zero arrivals and now just Elanga, overpriced at £55m. To have two competitive players per position, we're ok in some areas but we're (likely to be) two short up front, one short in CM, have a frankly bizarre array of goalkeepers with Pope a big concern, and our defence has three players over 33. We all seem to know it, we are very clearly 5 players minimum away from where we really should be. The concern is none of this is new. We have known this for years - and if we know it, how does the club not seem to get it? Or when they do 'get it', the scouting is lazy, predictable and misguided. We have gone backwards over the past few years - when we should have been looking at player data and uncovering talent, Andy Howe seems to have used Fantasy Football as his bible. The blinkered focus on the Premier League is bizarre. We have decided, without real justification, that we need "plug and play" players and can now, out of absolutely nowhere, compete with the greedy 6. At the same time, we have a wage structure that can't be broken and constraints that can't be challenged. What this Summer has shown is that you either pay top dollar and get on with it, or you find talent at a slight risk but trust to your scouts. We're in this pathetic middle space, chasing players we can't get, offering salaries they can improve on elsewhere. What's then abundantly clear is this isn't lost on the likes of Isak, who knows how short his career is and why sit on Newcastle's £150k pw when you can hop over to Paris and get double, with less tax. Or just go to Merseyside and get £300k. To make all of this even worse, we're being led to believe that there is a really, really small pool of players available who improve on the likes of Murphy, Schar, Pope, Longstaff, Wilson, Burn. So, no, I don't have even the slightest faith in Nickson, Eales and the Howe's when it comes to transfers.
Unfortunately Newcastle United are not able to offer what the really top clubs can and he knows he could end up like Shearer if he let's the opportunity slip. Isak owes Newcastle United nothing, he's being sold for huge amounts of money and he helped win us a trophy and land in the CL, so I'm going to be grateful for what he did here. BTW I hope Liverpool never win anything again and he ends up like shearer.
He owes us the remaining 3 years of his contract. Said it before, if he wasn’t happy to sign for that length of time then he shouldn’t have signed it in the first place.
If both parties agree a sale then no problem. If only one party does then you keep to what was initially agreed.
I'm into pif.. Only the idiots would think Howe was the main reason behind the clubs success. This managerial stuff has got way out of hand imo.
The PL as a competition is now beginning its slow decline. People generally don't watch it as much now
The worst part is the ****houses will simply say that's why they need the super league. The the real reason is people have realised it's a fake competition. The Americans will get their way.
Let them **** off to their super league. It will last 5 minutes. The 6 clubs that announced they were joining the super league should have been kicked out and banned from playing competitive football.
I don't you understand they won't be going anywhere, that's not the concept unfortunately. It's simply to remove the opportunity of other clubs competing for the European money... No opportunity = no reason to invest in trying to compete for those league positions. The difference between that and now seems very small mind. I'm beginning think the latest form is better actually... Can't remember the name?
It looks like we need the new CEO and DOF to hit the ground running WHEN they are appointed or else our season is well and truly fooked, that is if they are appointed very soon.
They won't be allowed to do anything anyway I don't think. If they want new hand gels someone will want to stick with regular old fashioned bars of soap.
I think Newcastle will get Sesko... He's the one the big clubs didn't fancy, the player probably fancies a go in the PL and his agent priced him out of the Arsenal move.