It didn’t take long for comments on Newcastle United’s operations to flood print and social media when the transfer market closed on Friday.
It’s likely that this is the first time under the new ownership that more people have unfavorable than good sentiments about the transfer company.
Last week, I wrote to myself about Newcastle’s pursuit of Marc Guehi and how it would be careless on the part of new sports director Paul Mitchell if we were unable to recruit him.
Many different opinions have been expressed in the wake of this Newcastle United transfer window.
These folks (I assume they are part goldfish) have expressed everything from mild frustration that we hadn’t strengthened to similarities with Mike Ashley’s best hits.
However, a sizable portion of supporters have adopted a positive outlook, believing that we have managed a challenging summer schedule while keeping all of our key players.
So when it comes to the summer of 2024, which side of the fence is the proper one to be on?
Are those who disagree with us entitled to poke fun at the team and the administration that manages our transfers, or are those who call themselves “happy clappers” entitled to see the bright side? But they’re both… and they
I’ll put up my hands and admit that I was in a nasty mood much of Saturday morning and into Friday night. Last week, I expressed my worries about some aspects of the team and said that nothing had been done to rectify them. But as the minutes passed in the Arsenal vs. Brighton match, I began to see that opinions mattered and that we should be proud of just hanging onto our best players.
By Saturday evening, I had concluded that the team had taken a huge risk, but if it pays off, it would hasten Newcastle United’s development. Please be patient as I attempt to convey my reasoning to all sides of the argument.
First off, I agree with many who feel let down by the window, but let’s stand back and examine the team.
We have two excellent goalkeepers in our lineup, and who knows how many more are on standby.
One of our best-ever right-backs and center-backs, England’s future right-back, world-class stopper Sven Botman, and rising star Lewis Hall make up this defense when everyone is fit and healthy.
Next, we have a starting three in midfield that is among the finest in the league as a unit: Bruno, Joelinton, and Tonali. For myself, I would only choose Arsenal, City, and perhaps Liverpool to win.
Lastly, we have two excellent left wingers, two goal-scoring strikers, and a few unselfish grafters on the right.
All things considered, this is a strong team.
Although West Ham has invested a great deal of money this summer, to instantly strengthen our starting eleven, I would only select Bowen from their ranks.
Although I believe Villa has had a good summer, I currently only see three players—Martinez, Maatsen, and Bailey—in our starting lineup.
You may argue that since they recruited more players, their teams have better depth, and you could be right—I mean, who wouldn’t want guys like Kudus, Paqueta, and Watkins in our team?—but the caliber of the starting 11 at
But before I go into detail about our major wager, let’s talk about the everlasting optimists.
Even if I’m envious of your never-ending optimism, those who are angry over the transfer window have a point. All right, everyone except for those who require a lobotomy since they are likening this summer to the Ashley era.
There was a sense of relief and joy when the 23–24 Premier League season drew to an end since we had beaten Man U to seventh place and, it appeared, a position in Europe. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, and following the FA Cup final, we were aware that we would have a season with fewer games and more downtime in an attempt to recreate the joy of our Champions League run. The main hindrance to this was our right wing’s lack of quality players and our center defense’s lack of depth, which was made worse by Lascelles and Botman’s injuries.
The team appeared to have a strategy, as we were promptly connected to Lloyd Kelly of Bournemouth and Tosin Adarabioyo of Fulham. Both were able to provide the starting squad instant competition as free agents. Sadly, Tosin was drawn in by the Boehly money machine and the chance to remain in the neighborhood where he had been living for a few years, thus the right side of our defense would require acquisition.
Yankuba Minteh, a player we signed the previous summer but who had yet to really integrate into the team because of a loan stint in the Eredivisie, might potentially pose a threat to our right side.
Once more, their ambitions were derailed; Minteh was one of the two PSR losses suffered by the squad throughout the summer. Thus, the right-wing’s desperate desire for competition was also put to the summertime priority list.
In addition to these urgent requirements, once Karius’ tenure at SJP ended, there was also a need to reinforce the depth behind Isak and add some depth behind Pope in goal.
The club was aware of all of this information by the start of July, and with the hiring of Paul Mitchell as the new sports director on July 4th, there was some hope that more steps would be taken to bolster the team in front of the upcoming campaign.
Weeks passed during which there was no word on any transfers for our important positions. Although depth was added at goalkeeper and Will Osula, a young striker with promise, was signed for a cheap price, Newcastle’s two areas of weakness remained unaddressed. This was evident to everyone.
Finally, a few weeks before the transfer window closed, Marc Guehi became the focus of intense public attention. Steve Parish, the chairman of Palace, was normally upbeat about the departure of one of his best players.
Anyone who has followed the transfer rumors around players like Wan-Bissaka and Zaha over the past 10 years should not have been surprised by this. Nevertheless, the club assured us that it will be completed.
We now know that this confidence was unfounded, and many supporters were at their wits’ end when the window closed, leaving us with both of these positions as they had been in May.
Howe has a point when he says that we should make sure we buy the appropriate player with the money we have available, as he stated toward the conclusion of the transfer window. While it’s simple to understand how it’s possible to overpay for the wrong player by looking at cautionary stories like that of Nicolas Pepe and Antony, you also need to have a backup plan. Loan arrangements may have been arranged, or even free agents might have been signed, to at least provide these positions some depth. It is extremely puzzling that we didn’t have them lined up given these accords would have minimal effect on the PSR issue.
The last part of the club’s bet appears to be this apparent absence of a backup plan. By now, I think most people have come to the same conclusion on their own, but if you’re still blinded by hope or clouded by rage, I’ll attempt to help you see it too.
The top 11 players of Newcastle United are ranked among the nation’s strongest five groupings, man for man. Behind this eleven are four players who are more than capable of starting at any time and maintaining the same caliber of play, along with another six who can step in as required.
Though that’s a big claim, I stand by it. We have taken a bet in that there are more squads than ever that are comparable to one another in terms of standard, and our prospects of matching these squads each week are significantly diminished if we were to have an injury in an unfavorable part of the pitch.
In my opinion, Fabian Schar is the one player we just cannot afford to lose. As excellently as Emil Krafth has played since Schar’s suspension, there are probably four or five guys on our roster who most people would consider more vital to the club than Schar. However, the impact Schar has on the ball cannot be replicated by any player in our present roster. The build-up from behind has been sluggish in our last few games.
This is where we have taken the risk.
We have a good chance of reaching at least fifth and qualifying for the Champions League if we can keep Schar healthy and suspended-free until January and maybe beyond. Joe Willock and Callum Wilson, in particular, should be able to stay healthy during this time. Compared to previous year, the English teams’ European draw has been much more lenient, and I absolutely anticipate that every one of our clubs will go to the knockout rounds this year. This implies that the Premier League will receive an additional Champions League berth for the upcoming season.
Given that Marc Guehi is that much closer to departing for free, it makes sense that we may revisit the transaction during the notoriously tough January transfer window—possibly at a cheaper price than last summer. If we are successful in securing a Champions League position without signing Guehi or a replacement in January, we will have to consider the possibility of entering the league a year later with a substantial budget that has the potential to completely overhaul the team in order to achieve long-term success.
There is a great deal of risk involved and many obstacles that must be overcome for this to succeed, but the rewards might be revolutionary.
I will state that if I were in control of the company, I would not have taken this chance and would have done all in my power to at least provide some coverage for guys like Schar. However, for the time being, I will hold my breath and hope that Eales, Mitchell, and the rest of the team’s bet pays out.
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