Solitude20

Have we finished our presentation yet?

I definitely agree. From what I’ve seen, Isak had already asked to leave before the window even opened and the club were already looking at the likes of João Pedro and Ekitike as potential replacements. I just don’t buy the idea that we were shifting to a 4-4-2. It feels more like that story only surfaced because his absence from the squad made the situation public.

If this deal fails for any reason, I think we should hold Isak for another season.

I suppose that’s exactly why the incoming CEO has a strong background in growing the commercial side of football. He previously led global partnerships at Real Madrid and held similar roles elsewhere, so he clearly knows how to expand a club’s commercial reach on a global scale. And that’s why the board are keen on hiring someone like him as CEO.

This summer has already been better than last year with Elanga alone.

This BBC link says Andy Howe is now the acting sporting director. Eddie got Mitchel to leave, and his nephew’s stepped straight in to take over .

What if I watched it but then we fail at signing him, will my day still be better?

Should pull a Liverpool and sign both of Sesko and Romulo.

The PIF is an investment fund with stakes in over 100 portfolio companies. They do not involve themselves in day-to-day operations or routine decision making. With around £1 trillion in assets, their role is to sit on the board, approve overall strategy, set goals, and sign off on budgets, just as most corporate boards do. This is the key difference compared to clubs like Spurs or PSG, where the chairman is deeply involved in daily operations. At Newcastle, the chairman operates more like a traditional board member in a corporate setup. Operational authority rests with the CEO. He should have the control people are referring to, along with a direct line of communication to the board, based on the organisation’s delegation of authority. He had the authority to pick and hire Mitchel for example. So the real question is whether Eales underdelivered because of limitations in the structure and governance, or whether the issue was with Eales himself. We will find out once his replacement takes over. That said, one thing is clear, PIF have been slow in finding a replacement after knowing Eales was on his way out.

There’s zero chance we would’ve signed Bruno, Isak, Tonali, Or Gordon if they knew Liverpool or Man City were also actively placing bids at that time. Do you remember when we lost Ekitike to PSG a couple of years ago? Was it a failure of our club then? Why not? Why is it now?

At least we should sell him after the Liverpool match.

Even if Staveley was still here, the outcome would’ve been the same. The issue hasn’t been our ability to negotiate. We had bids accepted for Trafford, Joao Pedro, and Ekitike, so clearly the execution on our end was there. The problem is that once those deals were in place, bigger names like Man City, Chelsea, and Liverpool came in offering similar terms. Of course the players chose them. That’s not a failure to act, it’s just the reality of trying to compete with the top of the food chain. You lot talk like we’ve been sitting on our hands all summer. This is probably the first window since the takeover where our top targets are also being chased by the likes of Chelsea, City, and Liverpool. That alone tells you how far we’ve come. Do you think we would’ve got Bruno, Tonali, Isak, Gordon, Botman, etc if Liverpool or City had come in with similar bids at the time? The result would’ve been the same even if Staveley was still here.

I actually expected the opposite. Thought we’d end up like one of the Saudi PIF clubs, throwing silly money at any player we could think of

Looking back at how he missed the Celtic game, the club has known about this for a few days I would say.

What have the owners actually promised us? Let’s be honest, a trophy and two Champions League qualifications in just three years is probably ahead of where they thought we’d be when the takeover happened. I get that it feels gutting to lose a star player, but this was always going to happen at some point along the journey. For me, this feels a bit like Juventus in 2001 when they sold Zidane. Fans were furious, but they used the money to bring in Buffon, Nedved, Thuram, and Salas, and they built a stronger team overall. If we handle the rest of this window properly, this could end up being one of those pivotal moments.

What do you reckon is fair value – £30m plus £5m in add-ons? Even if we overpay by £10m, that’s only £2m per year on the PSR books over a five-year deal. I think we should go for it. I’ve come around to the idea. He suits our style and I genuinely think he’d make us a better side.

We signed Chris Wood for £25m when he was older than Wissa is now, and our PSR situation was even tighter back then. Factor in that Wissa is the better and more versatile player, even 35m would make it a sensible transfer.

Honestly, this window and the last one have just felt off. We’re not the same club that used to do smart, efficient deals post-takeover up until the Tonali deal.

We moved quickly with major bids for Joao Pedro and Ekitike, but those deals were hijacked by the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool. We’ve already brought in Elanga, and right wing was clearly our biggest priority this window. Yes, we all want more, but let’s not overlook the ambition the club has shown, both in the players we’ve targeted and the fees we’ve been willing to put on the table. I wouldn’t say we’ve been slow at all with Elanga, Joao Pedro or Ekitike. We landed one, and the other two chose clubs further along in their project. I’d give it a couple more weeks before judging this window as below expectations.

Frustrating to see Joao Pedro snatched by Chelsea just as we were close, and now Liverpool swooping in to ruin the Ekitike deal after our big offer. But credit to Eddie, both were on our radar right after the takeover when they were still bargains. Just shows he’s got a sharp eye for talent

Forget stats, I’ve always wanted a player whose name reads the same forwards and backwards.

Don’t know much about him, but definitely looks like a ball playing defender.

We all know it’s only a matter of time before Joelinton gets injured. With the extra UCL matches and Longstaff gone, I think signing a central midfielder is a must.

Why are we letting him go? Could he be a part of another deal with Man City?

If it’s true that we only have 125m to spend, then getting Joao Pedro for 60m and a RW for 55m leaves us with nothing for Trafford and a defender. I think we can realistically only afford two out of those four if we want players who can truly improve the starting lineup.