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Opinion

Newcastle United fans starting to panic over this?

1 year ago
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Do I detect a bit of panic setting in with some Newcastle United fans, with regards to this current transfer window?

The summer window saw the squad overhauled with the permanent arrivals of Nick Pope, Matt Targett, Sven Botman and Alexander Isak,

I think it’s fair to say that most Newcastle United fans were happy with that business at the time and then you can’t fail to be delighted (Targett apart) with how these signings have settled and played.

These additions added to the permanent deals in January 2022 of Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood and Dan Burn (along with Targett on loan), those transfers 12 months ago contributing significantly to survival last season.

Then a combination of the business done in both windows, helping to bring about this excellent charge on the top four and the League Cup run this season.

Where do the club go from here, to progress the situation further?

The next raft of signings to improve the team must do exactly that, IMPROVE on what we have. We have seen Chris Wood shipped out after an apparent desire from the player to play more games, something he wasn’t going to get here while Isak and Callum Wilson are both fit. He goes with my best wishes for the future, safe in the knowledge that he has a footnote in starting the revolution to hopefully bigger and better things for this football club.

However, like I say, we need better coming in to improve on Chris Wood. There’s no point in simply buying another Chris Wood standard player. The eventual £15m we have apparently negotiated for him is great business. To pay £25m and receive £15m, means the player’s contribution cost £10m net (plus wages), which makes the deal look fantastic, based on how far we’ve come in a year.

We can’t simply buy another stop gap player until the summer just because some Newcastle United fans feel the need to get a body in, if that player isn’t an improvement on what has just left. Especially if people are going to be saying that that player is not up to scratch and needs to be sold within a year like Wood. We would be better served keeping our powder dry until the summer.

Two players that divided / divide opinion in terms of quality are the aforementioned Wood, plus Jacob Murphy. Would you get £10m+ for Murphy? How much would he cost to replace? Far in excess of what we would get for him I’m sure.

People rave about Allan Saint-Maximin and rate him infinitely better than Murphy (I don’t necessarily) but if that’s the case how much would we get for ASM? More than for Murphy, I’m sure of that.

Now I could do an article about genuinely selling ASM with the pros and cons of such a move and REALLY put the cat amongst the pigeons. Personally, I’d like to see him improve both his fitness and discipline and give Eddie Howe a real problem on the left hand side because at the minute I don’t see it as such. Both Murphy and Joelinton have the discipline and are putting in solid performances that have almost made ASM redundant, or reduced to being an impact player, which is where I see him to be honest.

If we were to sell either of Murphy or ASM I know which would make more sense. Murphy would cost infinitely more to replace than what we’d get, ASM not so.

Thankfully, this balancing act is Eddie Howe’s problem is not mine and I’ll back his judgement.

Back in 1995 Kevin Keegan made the difficult decision to sell star striker Andy Cole but followed that up with the arrival of Les Ferdinand the following summer, then added Tino Asprilla in February 1996.

Issue 91 – August 1996

The big one in Alan Shearer arriving in the summer to complete the set. Now that’s improvement I’d be interested to see.

It took only 12 months to amass the trio of Ferdinand, Asprilla and Shearer and as it stands we have Wilson and Isak up front having shipped out Wood, and while it’s always good to improve on what you’ve got, who would come in to replace him and be happy not being a regular starter?

Keegan later said that he wouldn’t have signed Asprilla if he knew he was going to get Shearer six months later. Some may look back and say that may have left us a bit short in the title race of 1995/96 where we had the pairing of Les and Peter Beardsley, but now we have Isak and Wilson to contend with. Other players in other positions will have to step up and start contributing goals as I really can’t see a solution to this transfer impasse that leads to a satisfactory solution for the team, club and any frustrated supporters desperate for new faces to come in.

We (potentially) have three games in the League Cup and then it’s plain sailing for the rest of the season with no extra burden on the squad and I’m more than happy to go at it with what we already have if that’s the case.

I (and others) saw the value of Chris Wood, as did Eddie Howe. It heartens me that he wanted to leave for footballing reasons as I admire that. Was it six months too soon? Definitely.

Some Newcastle United fans got their wish with his departure. and it may not sit well with some but you now just have to let the recruitment team continue their so far excellent work, even if it now takes until the summer for it to be properly fulfilled.

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