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Doesn't seem to have driven up his asking price mind, been 60 million all summer.

Nah, the Super League will be a closed Premier League. The Saudi’s will be asked to buy the. Champions League TV rights for a step above what they go for now, in exchange for a club or 2 of theirs being invited to the competition each year.

Yep - not often I’d paraphrase Trevor Francis, but I remember him talking about how the hardest thing in management isn’t improving poor sides, but trying to improve a really good one - you have to spend big money and be absolutely confident that the player you’re buying is likely to improve the side - and that getting a team from 7th to 6th is almost as hard as getting a team from 17th to 7th (he finished 3rd, 7th, 7th with Sheff Wed before it fell apart - which is what he was referring to). Far too many are giving it the ‘just buy cheap players from abroad’ patter. Great - but that’s adding to the pot luck element. Who we buy at this point needs to be really thought out - you don’t just gamble on some bloke from a midtable Portuguese side because you saw a YouTube video of him doing loads of pedaladas.

It’s not overpaying. It’s the going rate. Value is only what people are prepared to pay. There’s not a catalogue with prices in. It’s becoming a bit frustrating this. There’s now a decent length list of targets that are going elsewhere and a couple of low ball bids for Trafford and Elanga to clubs who don’t need to sell. I’d be far more confident if we hadn’t had the Guehi shambles last summer (another on our target list this summer going elsewhere). From the outside, there doesn’t seem to be much homework done and it doesn’t inspire much confidence if we end up scrambling around for players who know they’re well down our list of targets.

Romano sell tweets for clubs and agents. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s just saying that on behalf on either Brighton or the players agent in order to try and put pressure on us to either offer more for him to Brighton, or more in wages.

Said this for ages we are trying to spread a limited budget to thinly across multiple needs. Mitchell may not be popular but he’s right our transfer policy isn’t fit for purpose. Yes it’s got us so far but now we’ve had 3 windows where we can’t spend and from the targets where after I just see rinse and repeat. We’ve acquired some blue chip players but you’re correct they all had question marks, including Isak who’s goal record was atrocious for Sociedad in his last season.

Have the people on here who fancy them to stay up really factored in that they were fourth in a very poor league last season, 24 points off automatic promotion, looked very unconvincing in the play off games and had the fans shouting for the manager's head even after they'd reached the playoffs ? Additionally they've lost one of their most important (albeit very limited) players and the only one I saw who looked like he truly had PL potential (Watson). Similar levels of optimism applied to ourselves will have us nailed on to win the Champions League.

Demand from others does drive the price up though. This one in particular is Chelsea moving mad.

My prediction/conspiracy theory is that there will be a Saudi led European Super League within 5 years and these clubs are already in bed with them. That’s a realistic goal for them and it’s far bigger than Newcastle. As far as Newcastle is concerned, the club was sold to them by Staveley and I think everything needs to be pushed forward by a non-PIF person. They’re there to invest if someone sells it to them, but otherwise we’ll be a forgotten relatively minor investment.

My only issue is, surely the club should have known exactly what to expect regarding prices, wages etc. We have had 18 months to get ready for this window. Being quoted massive fees should not come as a surprise.

I’m not negative about it. But we are likely looking at losing out on 4 of our main targets by the start of July. That is pretty shitty.

Aye this. Was always a great move for him. At 35m it looked a good deal for us at first. A £10m overpay at the low end. Then at £15m when you consider Vlad it was a great coup for them at the time. But now it’s a complete steal.

Not overly concerned with this transfer. Zenden chose Chelsea. Jeffers chose Arsenal. We got Robert and Bellamy instead. Brill.

There's been reports they have.

In recent transfer windows, as we sit and watch the likes of Chelsea and Man United spend money unchecked as though they operate outside of the restraints we're chained by, the frustration bordering on apathy turns to pure admiration for Eddie and what he's been able to achieve. He really is the king. Chelsea can take Pedro, Man United can take Mbeumo, neither of them have a manager who is anywhere near the level of Eddie Howe, nor will they get one any time soon.

Chelsea haven't even bid for him have they?

Not sure this logic works - Bruno, Isak and Botman are all of a calibre that would improve us if they were signed today, certainly relative to the likes of Pedro and Elanga.

With Twitter, but not the overall decline in journalistic standards imo.

Absolutely, I can’t thank them enough for reviving our zombie club of the Ashley days. But it still grinds gears them constantly bailing out and semi funding our rivals. Look at the Duran thing FFS, plus Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea. Their strategy is “World Cup 2034”, but how they get there is a right inconsistent mess.

Said similar in another thread, but... ...while I completely understand the appeal of Premier League proven players, we're trying to drive a hard bargain in a market where the fees and wages on offer are inflated. Our talent ID is spot on. Our best work in the transfer market has come from "buying the dip" abroad and/or picking up young, unproven players with high ceilings. I appreciate we're trying to move up the ladder and buy a more complete, finished article, but given how restricted we are under PSR we may need to reconsider until the commercial revenue and academy are in a place to ease that burden.

it's a good point like, if they can spend a billion on this shite just think what they could do for NUFC with less constraints. It's genuinely mind boggling that there hasn't been a proper legal challenge in the form of players kicking off about either being "forced" to move clubs or not being able to do so (as was pointed out on here yesterday by someone) due to lack of PSR headroom.

I edited my post 👍🏻 In a dumb way, pif are helping Chelsea and City with spending, but they won't mind as its good for them, but shit for their asset Newcastle.

In all seriousness I'm still happy to be rid of Mike Ashley and see us competing in the CL. Until that feeling dissipates then I'm happy just to see us improve year on year. I'm just glad the mix of agendas all seemingly have the same end goal for NUFC.

I mean the problem is PSR, nothing else. PIF will spend money on NUFC if they are allowed to. Or at least we can only really find out if PSR is got rid of.

Well sign Trafford, a CB and two players further forward in this window. Im not so fussed on time, although early will be better. Im not too fussed on price because its clear the club have learned their lesson on the future PSR consequences. As for the quality, well, we have to wait.