Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

Opinion

John Barnes advises Newcastle United on summer transfer window

2 years ago
Share

John Barnes has been talking about Newcastle United and the summer transfer window.

So far this summer, Newcastle making the Matt Targett signing a permanent one, with a total of £15m paid for the defender, which includes the loan fee for the second half of last season.

Now on day twelve of the transfer window, John Barnes giving the benefit of his advice on what NUFC should do before the window closes in 72 days time.

John Barnes speaks regularly about Newcastle United, regarding aspirations on the pitch and in the transfer market.

This time declaring that the club and fans can’t think they are going to ‘spend hundreds of millions and win the league.’

He says this type of thing every single time, going on as though the supporters and those running the club now, thought that was going to be the case in the immediate future.

John Barnes declaring ‘If you look at the signings they (Newcastle United) actually made at the turn of the year, which really, you know, gave them the impetus to stay up and to do quite well against all the teams. Why then break that up all of a sudden, then say we are going to challenge for top four, because they weren’t going to be able to get the players at this moment in time to make them challenge for the top four immediately. So why not stick with what they have?’

It is quite amusing that whilst Eddie Howe and the NUFC owners did show excellent judgement in January, in very challenging circumstances (inheriting a relegation shambles from Mike Ashley and Steve Bruce), real ambition was shown to look beyond last season, as well as doing what was necessary to try and fight off relegation.

Newcastle United had the chance to sign England full-back Kieran Trippier and grabbed it with both hands, whilst the record club signing of Brazil international midfielder (£41.25m including add-ons) was the key reason why the overall spending became the most any Premier League club had spent in a January window.

John Barnes states Newcastle United shouldn’t ‘say we are going to challenge for the top four’ this coming season and the truth is, nobody is saying this, only Barnes himself implying that is the case.

However, everybody also knows that the second half of last season, with the help of new signings, Eddie Howe had Newcastle in stunning top three form, only Liverpool and Man City picking up more points in the final 19 matches.

John Barnes then talks about how top ten should be the aim this coming season but surely Newcastle United simply have to bring in the best players they can possibly add within their budget this summer, then try to finish as high as possible this coming season.

The reality is that tenth bears no relation to top six, never mind top four. Finishing top ten is pretty meaningless, ending up ninth or tenth is no real difference to eleventh, twelfth etc.

The big hurdle is breaking into the top six and then the top four, which is where you need to get to if you want to be able to compete long-term. Having finished eleventh and on 49 points, despite only 11 points in the opening 19 PL matches, was astonishing.

Progress to me this coming season would be hopefully adding 10+ points onto last season’s total and then see where that would take us in the league table.

Only once in these 15 seasons that kicked off under Mike Ashley’s control, did Newcastle United manage 50 or more points in the Premier League.

In the 14 seasons directly before Ashley bought the club, only four times did NUFC get less than 50 points. With indeed six of those 14 years seeing Newcastle United with 68 or more points.

The potential is now here for those kind of days to now return, simply a case of every positive move the club now make, bringing that possibly closer to reality.

John Barnes talking to Sky Sports about this Newcastle United summer 2022 transfer window – 21 June 2022:

“If you look at the signings they (Newcastle United) actually made at the turn of the year, which really, you know, gave them the impetus to stay up and to do quite well against all the teams.

“Why then break that up all of a sudden, then say we are going to challenge for top four, because they weren’t going to be able to get the players at this moment in time to make them challenge for the top four immediately.

“So why not stick with what they have?

“Make one or two signings and I am sure they will make one or two more signings (this summer).

“Then grow organically, steadily.

“Rather than feeling we are just going to spend hundreds of millions and win the league.

“Which isn’t really going to happen, because the best players in the world, still at this moment in time, won’t be going to Newcastle.

“But if you can then move forward and finish you know, in the top ten, meaning between fifth and tenth and then maybe as years go on, make a push.

“That is the right way to do it.”

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks