Report suggests Newcastle United prepared to spend big again in summer with £200m war chest
Newcastle United didn't spend a penny in January, much to the chagrin of many a Newcastle fan who could clearly see there was a desperate need for reinforcements.
Instead, the club opted to keep their hands in their pockets and hold on to their money until the summer trading period, when deals are allegedly easier to get done. Although if last summer is anything to go by, that's a total fallacy.
Last summer, Newcastle spent £250 million on six new players, and of those, only one can be deemed a success two-thirds of the way through the season. Malick Thiaw has been consistent with his performances for the most part; there have been blips, sure, but that's to be expected.
Meanwhile, Jacob Ramsey and Anthony Elanga are only now starting to show what they are capable of, while Nick Woltemade started strong and dropped off a cliff, and Yoane Wissa ... let's just say the jury's still out. Aaron Ramsdale also came in on loan, and we'd be lying if we said he was giving Nick Pope much to worry about.
Newcastle want four new players ahead of next season
We can't blame the new signings for their struggles too much, though, as all but Elanga were brought in relatively late in the window, so there's been a lack of training time available with their new teammates. Ramsey and Wissa have had their injury issues, too, which didn't help matters.
So there's a hope that in the summer, Newcastle will be much more proactive in the market, especially with a sporting director who isn't working his notice. The Chronicle believes that the Magpies have £200 million to spend and are looking to add four new players.
Our gut feeling is that it will change massively come summer when we lose Tino Livramento and possibly Sandro Tonali. Their exits will mean we need at least two more players but should also dramatically increase the money available to spend.
What will that £200 million get us in the summer?
As for who we buy, we genuinely have no idea at this point. We keep saying names such as Dayann Methalie and Kees Smit, and while the former feels attainable, the latter is so coveted that we don't see Newcastle winning that race.
We need a goalkeeper, and we wouldn't be surprised if we try again for James Trafford. A right-sided centre-back and a full-back, along with a creative midfielder and a striker, all feel like additions we need right now, and that's before we lose Tino and Sandro.
Our worry is that all this change will mean that next season will be another tough one as Eddie Howe (or whomever) has to bed in new players and we could end up with the same stop-start season that we're suffering through now.
