Newcastle United to employ three-phase transfer strategy this summer - journalist
There's a not-so-quiet frustration amongst the Newcastle United fanbase right now as the Magpies stretch their barren run of making no meaningful first-team signings.
Eddie Howe's pleas of getting business done early have so far gone unheeded, and while it's frustrating as a fan to see other clubs making big signings, there's still no real cause to panic.
Newcastle have never been quick out of the blocks to get their business done, with most of our signings coming in the middle or back end of a transfer window. It's less than ideal from Eddie Howe's perspective, sure, as he'd rather have the time to work with his new recruits ahead of the next season, but as long as the business gets done, that is the main thing.
The Magpies have kicked off their transfer activity this week by making a bid for three players - James Trafford, Anthony Elanga and Joao Pedro. While there's still plenty of work to be done on all three moves, the ball is rolling.
Newcastle have three stages for their transfer activity this summer - Stage one has begun
Now, a report from Mark Douglas in the iPaper, has outlined Newcastle's strategy this summer, claiming this to be stage one of three.
Stage one is to bring in the players the club needs to improve the squad, likely at a big expense, hence the reported £125 million triple bid. Once these big expenses have been signed, sealed and delivered, stage two will see Newcastle trying to move players on.
Then stage three will largely depend on what is left following stage one and what they were able to recoup in stage two. If there's enough cash and enough PSR headroom remaining, we could see a flurry of incomings to bolster the squad
Newcastle will not be goaded into overpaying for any players
Douglas also goes on to once again reiterate that Newcastle have absolutely no intention of selling Alexander Isak, saying that club insiders have laughed off reports of a £120 million bid.
He also quotes a source from inside the club talking about Newcastle's past transfer business as an example of what's happening now.
“Look at our transfers so far. Every single one of them has represented good value and it’s the same this summer. If we can’t find that, we’ll move on pretty quickly to a deal that does give it.”
Newcastle's refusal to pay over the odds for a player is obviously frustrating from a fan's perspective, but it is absolutely the right approach, and again, as long as the deals get done, that's what matters.
