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Steve Bruce gives bleak update on 2021 Summer Newcastle United transfer window

3 years ago
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A week ago Steve Bruce was asked what he was looking to achieve at the week long training camp near York and what was most important:

The NUFC Head Coach declaring: ‘Well of course, I mean if for example you ever got a few new players, or whatever, of course it is a great way to integrate them into the squad…’

That answer looked bizarre at the time and after the completion of that training camp and a defeat to sixth tier York City, well, what can you say?

Following the defeat to York, Steve Bruce has been asked about the transfer window.

I think his reply was about as convincing and makes as much sense as the one he gave about what he hoped to get from the training camp.

Steve Bruce:

“We have got one or two things bubbling away…

“Obviously with Joe [Willock], it is in Arsenal’s court, we can’t dictate to Arsenal.

“We have got one or two others bubbling away…

“I know for a fact it is going to be very very slow, the transfer market…I knew it was going to be with the European Championships and Covid affecting everybody.

“It is difficult for everybody at the moment, so there will be a bit of work to be done,

“We have got one or two things bubbling away…

“But nothing really imminent.”

I think it is quite clear what we are going to be hearing for the next 43 days of the 2021 Summer Newcastle United transfer window, ‘one or two things bubbling away’ is the new mantra.

Today is day 41 of this transfer window and does what Steve Bruce says, ring true?

Well, having had a look back over these past six weeks, I find that at least 14 Premier League clubs have brought at least one player in, with dozens of signings made and hundreds of millions spent.

What Steve Bruce is saying, doesn’t match reality.

Yes, there are some big moves still to come with the possibility / likelihood of Varane, White, Kane and other really big deals happening. Whilst you have new managers at the likes of Everton and Spurs who look sure to be backed in this transfer window.

However, the fact is that promoted clubs Norwich and Watford have already done plenty of business, whilst the likes of Brighton, Villa, Leeds, Burnley, Palace, Southampton and Wolves have all made significant investment, all clubs that in some shape or form we are supposedly trying to compete with.

If there was any serious / realistic intention to get Joe Willock, then it is not a case of needing to ‘dictate’ to Arsenal, you make an offer to buy him. This delusion that if Newcastle just wait, they will get Willock on another cheap and cheerful loan is just a pipedream, plenty other clubs will pay the money to buy him, he won’t be available on a loan again after those goalscoring exploits in black and white. An English 21 year old midfielder scoring seven PL games in a row…Arsenal will either cash in now or keep him. What’s the point of another loan when it would risk his value dropping drastically if it was a failure.

I reckon the best ‘bubbling’ action we can hope for, are one or two uninspiring loans very late in the window, even they may need a bit of an injury crisis in certain positions to ‘persuade’ Mike Ashley to allow them.

Premier League clubs signings agreed so far in 2021 summer transfer window:

Arsenal

Nuno Tavares – £8m from Benfica

Aston Villa

Emiliano Buendia – £33m from Norwich

Ashley Young – Free from Inter Milan

Brighton

Enoch Mwepu – £22m from RB Salzburg

Kjell Scherpen – Undisclosed from Ajax

Burnley

Nathan Collins – £12m from Stoke

Crystal Palace

Marc Guehi – Eventual fee could reach £20m from Chelsea

Michael Olise – £8m from Reading

Jacob Montes – Undisclosed fee from Georgetown University

Remi Matthews – Free transfer from Sunderland

Leeds

Junior Firpo – £13m from Barcelona

Amari Miller – Undisclosed fee from Birmingham City

Jack Harrison – £11m from Man City

Leicester 

Patson Daka – £22m from Red Bull Salzburg

Boubakary Soumare – £17m from Lille

Ryan Bertrand – Free transfer from Southampton

Liverpool

Ibrahima Konate – £36m from Leipzig

Man Utd

Jadon Sancho – £73m from Borussia Dortmund

Tom Heaton – Free from Aston Villa

Norwich

Pierre Lees-Melou – £3.5m from Nice

Billy Gilmour – Loan from Chelsea

Ben Gibson – £9m from Burnley

Dimitrios Giannoulis – £6m from PAOK Salonika

Angus Gunn – £5m from Southampton

Milot Rashica – £11m from Werder Bremen

Southampton

Romain Perraud – £12m from Stade Brest

Theo Walcott – Free transfer from Everton

Watford

Imran Louza – £9m from FC Nantes

Ashley Fletcher – Free transfer from Middlesbrough

Danny Rose – Free transfer from Tottenham

Emmanuel Dennis – Undisclosed from Club Brugge

Peter Etebo – Loan from Stoke

Joshua King – Free from Everton

Dapo Mebude – Free from Rangers

West Ham

Craig Dawson – Undisclosed fee from Watford

Pierre Ekwah Elimby – Undisclosed fee from Chelsea

Wolves

Rayan Ait-Nouri – Undisclosed fee from Angers

Francisco Trincao – Loan from Barcelona with £25m option to buy

Yerson Mosquera – Undisclosed fee from Atletico Nacional

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