NUFC Transfer Rumours

[JT24]

2 minutes ago, timeEd32 said:

If the parts about tilting back to our former direction (looking for potential) and Isak are from solid sources then both are good news.

 

Hard to describe our initial approach to the window as anything but flawed or naive.

I don’t know why they ever stopped, a strategy that has worked so well so far. 

[r0cafella]

4 minutes ago, JT24 said:

I don’t know why they ever stopped, a strategy that has worked so well so far. 

You mean the pivot to younger premier League proven players? 

 

We have chased "hot properties" this summer for sure, I guess we fell for the hype. 

[Ben]

10 minutes ago, BennyBlanco said:

Needs to be some sort of movement (players in!🙈) this week or I can see Howe having a serious think about wether or not he’s getting the proper support (he currently isn’t).

 

Ashworth at the FA will make it easy for Howe to move there next summer, I do blame Mitchell for this summers absolute mess, no reason why he couldn't of left after the window closed. 

[The Prophet]

 

[mouldy_uk]

From the Luke article:

 

Newcastle currently have the eighth-largest wage bill in English football and that will almost certainly not change this year. The bruising truth is it might never do so.

 

 

Way to kill my Monday morning Luke 

[ExiledGeordie]

Get a new CEO in, get a sporting director in and sort out the strategy. In the short term we’re clearly going to have to go back to recruiting from the continent, I mean it’s already worked.  
 

If we could sign someone like Wissa, get a top CB target in and then a few other additions if can still be a decent summer. Give Isak his new contract too to smooth that over.

 

It’s been a piss poor summer (so far) though strategy and execution wise. 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2025 by ExiledGeordie

[Coffee_Johnny]

14 minutes ago, timeEd32 said:

If the parts about tilting back to our former direction (looking for potential) and Isak are from solid sources then both are good news.

 

Hard to describe our initial approach to the window as anything but flawed or naive.

This made me think. What is it that has and hasn’t happened which shows a flawed plan or naivety? I mean, fully behind the disappointing and (Isak) worrying descriptions, but naive and flawed? 
We have a list of preferred players for needed positions. This doesn’t guarantee you get what you want. We’ve got one, missed out (it seems…) on others. 
We have players we wanted to move on, a bit of this has occurred; but again in most cases regardless of plan/strategy you can’t make this happen. 

We have kept an eye on and moved for ‘development’ players.  Hard to say how off plan we are with this aspect. 
We will change direction and pivot towards/consider unforeseen opportunities, any plan needs to have such flexibility. Some noise, e.g. Gallagher (who we have shown interest in previous would be a good fit) to suggest that we’re doing this. 
We have to defend or take the opportunities afforded by concrete interest in our players. There’s often a randomness to this; especially if one of ours, who we don’t want to sell, is open to a move. Some of this is played out, to some extent, in public; some no doubt remains firmly behind closed doors. 
We are (all) disappointed no doubt that thus far we are still some way away from a viable squad for next season’s challenges—at least in terms of how we would all like to be equipped to face them—but it’s not like Penfold’s fax has been on the blink and the plan was for all of our activity to go managed through that; or we only had three names and had an ‘at least we tried’ pre-prepared answer as our only contingency. 

[Sibierski]

8 minutes ago, mouldy_uk said:

From the Luke article:

 

Newcastle currently have the eighth-largest wage bill in English football and that will almost certainly not change this year. The bruising truth is it might never do so.

 

 

Way to kill my Monday morning Luke 

That’s not really a problem, if the gap to 4th highest reduces a lot compared to what it is now, that’s great. You can win the major trophies / compete by paying wages that Spurs are doing. Yea some stars will move on, but they will at any club. It’s about the signings and nailing them, which we do (nail) but are struggling to do any signings. Like we’re so scared to sign £15m-£20m players.

[r0cafella]

Just now, Coffee_Johnny said:

This made me think. What is it that has and hasn’t happened which shows a flawed plan or naivety? I mean, fully behind the disappointing and (Isak) worrying descriptions, but naive and flawed? 
We have a list of preferred players for needed positions. This doesn’t guarantee you get what you want. We’ve got one, missed out (it seems…) on others. 
We have players we wanted to move on, a bit of this has occurred; but again in most cases regardless of plan/strategy you can’t make this happen. 

We have kept an eye on and moved for ‘development’ players.  Hard to say how off plan we are with this aspect. 
We will change direction and pivot towards/consider unforeseen opportunities, any plan needs to have such flexibility. Some noise, e.g. Gallagher (who we have shown interest in previous would be a good fit) to suggest that we’re doing this. 
We have to defend or take the opportunities afforded by concrete interest in our players. There’s often a randomness to this; especially if one of ours, who we don’t want to sell, is open to a move. Some of this is played out, to some extent, in public; some no doubt remains firmly behind closed doors. 
We are (all) disappointed no doubt that thus far we are still some way away from a viable squad for next season’s challenges—at least in terms of how we would all like to be equipped to face them—but it’s not like Penfold’s fax has been on the blink and the plan was for all of our activity to go managed through that; or we only had three names and had an ‘at least we tried’ pre-prepared answer as our only contingency. 

We seem to be targeting players who are hyped up and of a profile whereby other suitors will be ahead of us. 

[sushimonster85]

14 minutes ago, Ben said:

 

Ashworth at the FA will make it easy for Howe to move there next summer, I do blame Mitchell for this summers absolute mess, no reason why he couldn't of left after the window closed. 

 

Yeah. Obviously impossible to know got sure what happened. But feels like they had that transfer summit with the Saudis at the end of the season. The one where Howe came out bullish, saying everyone was on the same page and we needed to act quickly, and suddenly Mitchell was off. My (not at all informed) theory is that the PIF essentially decided to go with Howes plan (pricey known quantities, ideally with PL experience) over Mitchell's (young, European based with high potential). 

 

We had heard over the last 12 months that the plan was to look at the European market for youngsters with a high upside, but lower initial fee. Then suddenly we get to Summer and it's PL experience, big fees etc, and Mitchell walked.

[Yorkie]

24 minutes ago, timeEd32 said:

If the parts about tilting back to our former direction (looking for potential) and Isak are from solid sources then both are good news.

 

Hard to describe our initial approach to the window as anything but flawed or naive.

 

Why shouldn't we at least try and get the best players on the market? 

 

Reminder also that we have signed one of the league's most productive wingers.

 

If we have to change tack now then so be it but I'm not gonna go after the club for chasing players who are all but guaranteed to improve us, rather than might improve us.

[54]

Coming into this thread after the weekend...

 

[et tu brute]

10 minutes ago, mouldy_uk said:

From the Luke article:

 

Newcastle currently have the eighth-largest wage bill in English football and that will almost certainly not change this year. The bruising truth is it might never do so.

 

 

Way to kill my Monday morning Luke 

Well if you expect to challenge at the top and have top players, then I would fully expect to be at that level in terms of wage bill. That's not rocket science you bald cunt.

[Izakaya]

18 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

Nowt there that hasn't been said almost verbatim on this forum over the past week. 

[The Prophet]

Growing pains. We're trying to shop in the same market, without the financial means to do so.

[SUPERTOON]

At least if we are changing plan, we may be able to get a deeper squad we need, assuming prices are a bit lower for the new targets. 

[sushimonster85]

5 minutes ago, et tu brute said:

Well if you expect to challenge at the top and have top players, then I would fully expect to be at that level in terms of wage bill. That's not rocket science you bald cunt.

 

To be fair, given the various different forms of PSR and squad cost rules in the PL and UEFA competitions, it is increasingly becoming more like rocket science.

[JT24]

Wasn’t even a long read. 

[KingArthur]

Anyone care to copy that Luke's text here?

[Ikon]

2 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

At least if we are changing plan, we may be able to get a deeper squad we need, assuming prices are a bit lower for the new targets. 

Aye, actually getting players in. Now we’re like looking for houses in great areas and in high demand. Without the willingness or possibility to pay for it. 

[Pilko]

What an absolutely nothing article from Baldy.

[et tu brute]

Just now, sushimonster85 said:

 

To be fair, given the various different forms of PSR and squad cost rules in the PL and UEFA competitions, it is increasingly becoming more like rocket science.

That's true, but to be a top team your going to be in the higher echelons, due to the level of players within the team 

[BennyBlanco]

19 minutes ago, mouldy_uk said:

From the Luke article:

 

Newcastle currently have the eighth-largest wage bill in English football and that will almost certainly not change this year. The bruising truth is it might never do so.

 

 

Way to kill my Monday morning Luke 

 

If that’s the case then honestly what’s even the point of trying to compete. The yanks have done a superb job in the last few years of snatching the ladder up and turning it in the NBA where a handful of teams get all the help they need because of their marketing pull and big fan base. But for everyone else it’s just a case of taking part, smiling and nodding in all the right places and being grateful for the scraps off the top table. Oh and if you want to join that top table, every conceivable avenue is instantly blocked through a slew of (sometimes illegal) fast tracked legislation and rules. 
 

The whole thing is irreparably fucked. Let those cunts have their super league and leave the traditional league to the rest of us in peace.

[Zero]

4 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Why shouldn't we at least try and get the best players on the market? 

 

Reminder also that we have signed one of the league's most productive wingers.

 

If we have to change tack now then so be it but I'm not gonna go after the club for chasing players who are all but guaranteed to improve us, rather than might improve us.

 

That only works if you have a thorough plan on hand and you have a well functioning negotiation team managing the whole situation, together with vision that who should you pay above the odd and who is the backup, with multiple negotiations working together

 

For example, we could submit bid for Pedro and Ekitike together back in May, and set a straight deadline that say if we failed the Pedro bid we would entertain the release clause etc (in fact this should be done for multiple targets in the same position)

 

instead, we were just like a newbie to the playground, who only know one technique: submit a bid, from our lowest estimated price, then keep on increasing the bid until it exceeded our limit, move on, find the next one down the list, start submitting the lowest estimated price again

 

this is far from being a “professional” I would say.

[timeEd32]

5 minutes ago, Coffee_Johnny said:

This made me think. What is it that has and hasn’t happened which shows a flawed plan or naivety? I mean, fully behind the disappointing and (Isak) worrying descriptions, but naive and flawed? 
We have a list of preferred players for needed positions. This doesn’t guarantee you get what you want. We’ve got one, missed out (it seems…) on others. 
We have players we wanted to move on, a bit of this has occurred; but again in most cases regardless of plan/strategy you can’t make this happen. 

We have kept an eye on and moved for ‘development’ players.  Hard to say how off plan we are with this aspect. 
We will change direction and pivot towards/consider unforeseen opportunities, any plan needs to have such flexibility. Some noise, e.g. Gallagher (who we have shown interest in previous would be a good fit) to suggest that we’re doing this. 
We have to defend or take the opportunities afforded by concrete interest in our players. There’s often a randomness to this; especially if one of ours, who we don’t want to sell, is open to a move. Some of this is played out, to some extent, in public; some no doubt remains firmly behind closed doors. 
We are (all) disappointed no doubt that thus far we are still some way away from a viable squad for next season’s challenges—at least in terms of how we would all like to be equipped to face them—but it’s not like Penfold’s fax has been on the blink and the plan was for all of our activity to go managed through that; or we only had three names and had an ‘at least we tried’ pre-prepared answer as our only contingency. 

Just taking the names Luke went through:

 

- they are almost all in the PL so they are going to cost more, already be on higher wages, and have more competition 

- I question how we didn’t already know certain things that have come out: Pedro wanting London, Mbuemo wanting over £200k a week (an amount we haven’t yet given our superstar striker), Burnley getting promoted was always going to allow them to ask for more, etc

- All that is before considering where we sit in the pecking order and the likelihood of other clubs wants these players 

 

I understand why we want proven PL players and I’m not advocating for buying a bunch of £10m prospects and hoping for the best. The prices around Europe seem to also be high but there is likely more negotiating room and wages are far less likely to be a problem.
 

I mostly wish we’d fully lean into our single greatest asset, which is our manager’s ability to get the most out of a player and happens to fit perfectly with our current financial position.