Eddie Howe is eager to see a new signing through the door in time for pre-season
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is keen to see progress on the recruitment front at St James' Park after a tough start to the summer window.
A bid for Anthony Elanga has been rejected but there is talk of Newcastle preparing another bid before potentially moving on to other targets. Getting deals at the "right price" that tie in with PSR concerns has been a struggle, it seems.
United drew a blank when it came to senior signings during the bonus transfer window between June 1-10 and the rest of the month so far has been a frustrating period as other clubs make big strides ahead in the market. The truth is since the final whistle sounded after the Everton game, Newcastle have been overtaken by rivals such as Chelsea and Brighton in terms of numbers of deals while Liverpool, Man United and Man City have splashed out the cash.
Howe asked for "speed" as far as summer deals were concerned but that has not materialised. If Newcastle get a deal done in June then Howe will probably feel relieved.
If he can get one or two deals done in time for pre-season in less than a fortnight, he will be delighted. The prospect of getting all of his new signings on the plane for the tour of the Far East seems like a big ask at the moment.
Last summer Newcastle jetted off to Japan with free transfers Lloyd Kelly, Odysseas Vlachodimos and John Ruddy on board but William Osula after the trip. During the trip, Howe played down talk of big deals coming in, even though negotiations for Marc Guéhi started while Howe was in his hotel room in Tokyo, but never got over the line.
Newcastle sources insist that the departure of sporting director Paul Mitchell won't dent any deals. Chronicle Live understands that United chiefs, guided financially by PIF, will not crumble on rival clubs ramping up fees.
They will only cough up on deals that they feel "represent value" so that means that there will be a tipping point on deals such as Joao Pedro, Elanga and Antoine Semenyo for a start. All three deals could see rival sides demand fees north of £65m.
Newcastle can only control the controllables of course but what if they are hit by a curveball? What if Liverpool do decide to back up their talk on Alexander Isak with a concrete bid?
What if they make Newcastle an offer they can't refuse? What if Isak's head gets turned by the lure of potentially doubling his current weekly wage?
Newcastle were always prepared to offload players this summer, with Sean Longstaff, Matt Targett, Joe Willock, Martin Dubravka, and Vlachodimos all linked with exits, but selling a star player is not something fans want to see.
Even then when Howe was asked by a journalist in May he could not guarantee that Isak would stay. Newcastle can end the Isak talk by putting together a new contract of course but incoming deals remain a big concern.
It's no surprise that Howe, head of recruitment Steve Nickson and Andy Howe are getting around the table to assess other deals. They are getting a lot of names put to them at the moment.
Both the exit of Mitchell and the month of July could offer more clarity as Newcastle desperately seek some positive news.