Since the announcement of the takeover, there has been much lip service donated as to what the PIF would do to help Newcastle to escape the drop as Newcastle looked condemned with Newcastle delivering one abject display after another. However, with the January window open, many are expecting Newcastle to spend heavily as years of underinvestment under Mike Ashley has magpies fielding one of the worst squads in the league (amplified by their recent FA Cup loss to mid table league one side Cambridge United.)
Newcastle has their targets and already secured the services of Atletico Madrid right back Kieran Trippier but the problem is much of the work in this window may look uncoordinated as for Newcastle owners may have made a big mistake already before what is a pivotal transfer window.
It's too early to judge Newcastle new owners but the major faux pas so far has been not hiring a sporting director well before the January window or at least before. There's been speculation and talks for who would fill the sporting director position with names like former Chelsea man mike Emenalo and Brighton’s highly rated technical director Dan Asworth linked to the role but no one as of yet has been hired.
This leaves whoever in real pickle as they have to land presumably Howe’s desired targets as Newcastle are at once desperate for higher quality players and find themselves in a precarious position which means clubs and agents are licking their lips as they’re set charge a premium for their players and clients in the worse window to look for a player.
There were reports that Newcastle transfer budget this window would only 50m which probably was an attempt to set market expectations but with the growing list of players linked with a move to St. James Park, the ploy clearly hasn’t worked.
We’d be surprised if Newcastle weren’t forced to break their transfer record at least once in order to secure the new faces needed to keep what is one of the worst squads in the league at the highest level.
Any confidence we have of Newcastle avoiding the drop lies not only on their new owner’s considerable resources but in the considerable talents of their new manager Eddie Howe.
While his tenure at AFC Bournemouth ended with the south coast side tumbling into the championship, the longtime club servant left with his well-earned reputation as a young progressive coach intact after lifting the cherries from league one to the premier league then establishing the club as a force at the highest level for several years.
Howe spent much of last summer linked to a number of jobs from Celtic to Everton with Celtic showing the strongest interest in the well-regarded coach. It looked like howe was a lock for the Parkhead role but according to Howe, he turned down the role because he couldn’t get his staff so talks broke down. While we and Celtic fans everywhere find that hard to believe, Howe patience has led him to an opportunity to build a super club. However, there’s a small issue of keeping one of the most poorly developed squads in a league where they spend most weekends overmatched.
With that said we have a lot of faith in Howe ability and so do some members of the club with Jonjo Shelvey and Callum Wilson singing his praises in the press citing the intensity of his training sessions and tactical nous.
However, having players on your side is half the battle but winning the actual war is what counts as Howe is under extreme pressure to keep Newcastle up as the club plans to spend big this window to keep their premier league status.
In sum, Newcastle maybe didn’t want to make a splash this window but with the squad recently falling to league one outfit Cambridge United, Newcastle’s owners must realize spending is critical if they plan to make their long-term investment a success.
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