Newcastle United become second highest Premier League summer spenders

A lot has been said about Newcastle United and this summer transfer window.

Many pundits and journalists talking about NUFC not competing for the level of signings anticipated and not spending the levels of cash that they (the same pundits and journalists!!!) had predicted.

Indeed, a vocal minority of Newcastle fans calling out the same, underwhelmed by the business United are doing.

I was interested then to read an update on The Mag (see below) this morning from Graham Porter, the business that each Premier club has done so far…

This gives us the following breakdown of all 20 Premier League clubs ahead of 27 June 2022, total money spent so far and then the individual signings in brackets:

£73.2m Liverpool (Fabio Carvalho £5m, Darwin Nunez £64m, Calvin Ramsay £4.2m)

£51m Man City (Erling Haaland £51m)

£46m Aston Villa (Boubacar Kamara Free, Philippe Coutinho £17m, Robin Olsen £3m, Diego Carlos £26m)

£45m Leeds (Brenden Aaronson £25m, Marc Roca £10m, Rasmus Kristensen £10m)

£44.7m Arsenal (Matt Turner £7.5m, Marquinhos £3m, Fabio Viera £34.2m)

£30m West Ham (Nayef Aguerd £30m)

£25m Tottenham (Fraser Forster Free, Ivan Perisic Free, Yves Bissouma £25m)

£25m Newcastle United (Matt Targett £15m, Nick Pope £10m)

£20.6m Southampton (Gavin Bazunu £12m, Mateusz Lis Free, Armel Bella-Kotchap £8.6m)

£17m Nottingham Forest (Taiwo Awoniyi £17m)

£15.5m Brighton (Julio Enciso £9.5m, Simon Adingra £6m)

£2m Crystal Palace (Malcolm Ebiowei £2m)

£0 Bournemouth (Ryan Fredericks Free, Joe Rothwell free)

So basically, at the moment Newcastle United are the joint seventh biggest spenders this window, £25m on transfer fees – the same as Tottenham.

However, with Sven Botman now agreed for a £30m+ (Sky Sports are saying £35m) transfer fee with Lille, the player set to now take his medical on Tyneside, that signing will take Newcastle United up to a £55m-£60m spend this summer so far, with only Liverpool (£73.2m) higher.

Actually, if then the Hugo Ekitike deal also happened, then that would / could almost certainly take Newcastle United to the very top of the transfer spending table.

I think for those who are critical and / or underwhelmed by Newcastle United transfer business, they are making a big mistake. Yes, Newcastle aren’t signing / trying to sign Haaland, Neymar and whoever, BUT Eddie Howe and the club’s owners are going for the right players that are needed at this stage of the club’s development.

What is more, is that Newcastle United are getting their business done early, or much of it anyway. Whilst Mike Ashley repeatedly blocked the club moving for targets early in transfer windows, these new owners are helping Eddie Howe in any / every way possible, with Sven Botman set to become the third summer buy and we aren’t even three weeks into the transfer window.

Pre-season preparations kick off this week, with the Newcastle United squad back at the training ground this Friday. With three new signings coming in so early, they will be able to benefit from the maximum pre-season period, indeed, Matt Targett of course started his integration period some five months ago! One of the benefits of having a player initially on loan and then making the deal permanent.

There are only just over five weeks to go until the Premier League kicks off the first weekend in August and great to see Newcastle United being ran so professionally, with everything in motion to try and help the team / squad hit the ground running.

Depending on who you see as Newcastle’s rivals this coming season, there are actually seven Premier League clubs who haven’t so far made any senior signings this transfer window – Brentford, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Leicester, Man Utd, Wolves. Whilst both Palace and Bournemouth have committed to £2m or less on transfer fees so far.

None of this is any guarantee of success BUT for me it is such a positive feeling to think building blocks are now being put in place, things done properly. Newcastle United had the third best form in the Premier League over the course of the final 19 games last season, now Eddie Howe and everybody else at NUFC doing everything they can to build on that.