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Opinion

Newcastle United operating at perfect transfer market level – This is the proof

2 years ago
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This is a very different Newcastle United.

Not a case of everything suddenly being perfect BUT you just feel that little by little, decision after decision, things are heading in the right direction.

Mistakes will be made naturally, however, that line on the graph is undoubtedly going on an upward trajectory.

Of course, nothing is certain once you step onto a football pitch, equal numbers of eleven v eleven and human error / fallibility can strike at any time. Whether that is individual players or the referee / VAR official, that and sheer bad luck / great goalkeeping performance can easily impact on any single match.

However, the more things you get right away from the actual 90 minutes of football, the more chance you have of succeeding in any match. It is playing the percentages, increasing your likelihood of winning. Manchester City and Liverpool still lose matches, not many of them though.

As the saying goes – fail to prepare = prepare to fail.

That has been our lives under Mike Ashley, a combination of incompetence and wilful neglect leading to perpetual struggle. This was nowhere better seen than what happened when the 2021/22 season kicked off, an absolute shambles under Mike Ashley, Lee Charnley and Steve Bruce. Only one player signed in what would prove to be Ashley’s final year and last two transfer windows, whilst the Newcastle United team wasn’t even properly fit under Steve Bruce as so many players have since attested to. The opening game of last season saw Newcastle lead 2-1 at half-time, only for West Ham to win 4-2 and NUFC not have a single shot on target in the second half as the visitors were clearly better prepared – certainly when it came to fitness to properly see the whole match out.

Quite amazing that the media chose to simply ignore much of what Mike Ashley inflicted upon us, including forcing out Champions League (and many other trophies) winning Rafa Benitez, simply so he (Ashley) could decide which players Newcastle signed. Crazy.

We have now emerged from that madness and now have the likes of Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth delegated to (and backed) bring in the right signings. Imagine that, employing the best possible football professionals and then relying on their judgement. Absolutely radical compared to what we had become used to.

Now this is the proof that Newcastle United are operating at perfect transfer market level.

These last six months have seen incredible success in the transfer market for NUFC. It is almost as though they have a plan…

Whilst Newcastle United fans joked about signings Mbappe, Neymar and Haaland, the media ran those as serious stories. Claiming the new owners were going after that level of signing.

The reality has been that a baseline has been set and the Newcastle United recruitment team have gone for the best possible players above that baseline.

That baseline being proven Premier League players and those from elsewhere who are seen as also being at least that level.

Amongst the six permanent signings made in 2022, we have seen five proven Premier League players – including two current England internationals, plus a 24 year midfielder who plays for Brazil.

Sven Botman is now set to become the seventh buy under the new Newcastle United owners, a 22 year with massive potential, who as a 20 / 21 year old helped Lille beat cash-laden PSG to Ligue 1 in 2020/21, then last season starred in a Champions League campaign that took Lille to the knockout stages. A medical planned for Monday after Friday night brought confirmation that a transfer had been agreed between Lille and Newcastle.

Newcastle United are pushing the boundaries as much as possible, with interest in Darwin Nunez before he signed for Liverpool, also the same with Moussa Diaby who likely will also prove out of reach at this stage. Kalvin Phillips maybe another who could have been a target, but with Man City having targeted him, the Leeds midfielder seemingly set to go to the champions.

That’s the thing, as well as brilliant solid signings such as Pope, Burn and Targett, Newcastle United also going for a level above in terms of how likely / not likely to succeed. Some fantastic successes with the likes of Trippier, Bruno G and now seemingly Botman, whilst at other times not able to compete in the final analysis on certain others.

That is exactly what we have always hoped for as Newcastle fans, the club pushing to be the best it can possibly be. At the moment the owners, Eddie Howe and the fans know that obviously there are a level of elite players that they can’t compete for. Those are ignored and instead NUFC pushing for the realistic, but at same time, ambitious targets.

The process has started, a long-term plan of constantly increasing the quality of the Newcastle United team and squad, trading in and out to keep chipping away at the overall levels.

A commitment to bring in the best possible players and as progress is made, we will climb up those levels of desirability, as the club and team become ever more competitive.

No doubt those at the club now, would describe this as more evolution than revolution.

However, for Newcastle United fans who endured 14+ years of Mike Ashley, this is most definitely a revolution that we are enjoying, with the departure of the FCB and his shameless willing minions, such as Charnley and Bruce.

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