I'm just waiting on us to magically find a few quid down the back of the sofa and splash it all on Diaby, Madison & Sesko (yes we put in enough to hijack the already done deal for him) in a list minute display of financial firepower.
I suspect I'm gonna be disappointed
Eddie's repeatedly said there is no money.
I mean, Joao Pedro at £20m really is plumbing Ashley level depths. How ****ing far down a priority list have we had to go to be going for Watford's reserve centre forward?
Is it really any more complicated than:
1. Manager wants players in positions a, b and c who have a certain style and profile.
2. Board has x amount of money available.
3. Scout goes to find players that fit manager brief, within board budget, whilst also ascertaining if they are a) available and b) interested.
4. Sign player.
I always come back to (3) being the main, significantly impactful issue at Newcastle. Constantly preparing, then failing, bids for players who don't seem to clamber over themselves to come and who aren't really available anyway. When you look at £20m for Pedro, makes you wonder what the game is with Maddison. Hope Leicester sell him for peanuts? Then if that happened, we'd then be praying a CL club doesn't fancy him for the same price - or start an auction.
I dunno, I get there's time left, but it's all been a bit....amateurish so far? Or maybe that's unfair, maybe it's just been a bit puzzling. A bit "ooooh, but we're trying so hard, just couldn't get there" repeatedly. As I said a while ago, of all the things to happen under new ownership, the return of "the line" is perhaps the most disappointing.
