Being potentially just one win away from Champions League football, we’re likely to see a spate of new and familiar names linked with Newcastle in the coming weeks.
And whilst we’ll no doubt be sensible and tactical with our approach, few can deny that the current squad is in desperate need of greater depth as we prepare for a return to European football in 2025/26.
Having been without major first team improvements for three consecutive windows now, Eddie Howe has made some subtle comments in regards to what he wants to say happen in the summer on Tyneside.
When the team sheets came in before Sunday’s kickoff, it became clear just how weak our benched looked with four senior men absent through injury.
With no Lewis Hall, Joelinton, Kieran Trippier or Joe Willock to call upon, it’s a testament to Howe’s skill as a manager that he’s excelled where other Premier League coaches would have bemoaned the lack of depth.
Commenting on his patched-up squad after the 2-0 win, Howe made some pretty telling comments ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window:
> _“The summer window as we know, and as I’ve made no attempt to hide, is a massive window for us.”_
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> _“We are missing some big players and whenever you do that there is a gap.”_
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> _“The lads who came in today did really well and filled that gap, which is what you are looking for._
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> _“Being able to bring in players of the quality of Sven Botman and Anthony Gordon into the team – top class players who both played well – but below that we slightly are stretched.”_
We saw last season just how much the demands of European football negatively impacted the availability of our squad, and exposed how overworked our players can be over a 50 game campaign.
But whilst we desperately need reinforcements in both the starting XI and on the subs bench, they need to have the quality to satisfy our desire to go as far as possible across all competitions.
So which should Howe and his team push for? Quality or quantity? Or both!
The gaffer has already locked down contract extensions for the likes of Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth. Yet there’s been times this season where we’ve needed that X-factor, the availability of players who can turn the tide single-handedly, and have had no one to call upon.
So if we’ve learned any lesson from Sunday’s win over Chelsea, it’s that our current XI is truly fantastic, but we need that underbelly to be strengthened along with one or two top players to take parts of our starting 11 to that next level.