Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe celebrates gaining a Champions League place
As Newcastle United clambered into the Champions League thanks to Manchester United's Old Trafford success over Aston Villa, Eddie Howe addressed the media for the final time before taking a well-deserved break. The Magpies' chief spoke positively and expectantly over transfers - and drummed home the fact time is of the essence when it comes to securing exciting incomings this summer.
"Speed is key because we have to be dynamic, we have to be ready to conclude things very quickly, because good players don’t hang around for long," Howe said. "That’s always been my thought and my message on recruitment, because you can have a period when you think you have time - but then you look around quickly and you see that time has elapsed and you missed opportunities you won’t get again."
Days after Howe's strong transfer message, Newcastle confirmed sporting director Paul Mitchell would be leaving the club midway through the summer window. Although the recruitment chief's exit is not expected to change or derail the club's summer plans, it perhaps adds a touch of uncertainty over what comes next.
But Mitchell will remain in his post until the end of June, meaning for the opening period of the summer window he will be the man at the heart of any negotiations for incoming players. The boardroom chief will continue to keep an eye on other top flight rivals and their business - and will have no doubt seen fellow Champions League outfit Arsenal make their first move early this week.
The first transfer domino of the summer is about to fall as the Gunners move closer to confirming a deal for exciting Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. The £51m signing is poised to undergo his medical, which is now being organised by Arsenal, as per multiple outlets.
Liverpool also appear to be making plenty of early moves themselves, pushing for former Newcastle target Hugo Ekitike, while looking nailed on to land Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz.
Meanwhile, clubs further down the Premier League are set for a flurry of interest in their own players, as Newcastle join the queue for some top talent situated in the bottom half of the top flight. Marc Guehi remains a key target, with Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner this week, again, playing down speculation his side will be forced into multiple sales this summer.
Each summer Howe stresses that he would like players in early. This time last year brought a speedy deal for free agent Lloyd Kelly, before William Osula joined days before the Sela Cup in August.
Newcastle then turned their attention to Howe's backline and pursued a move for Guehi. One which, unfortunately, played out in public.
This time around there will likely be less haggling due to reduced PSR concern in the short-term, with Newcastle expected to announce new deals before their July trips to Asia. Now the north east outfit know they have a bigger pot to spend, there will, ideally, be no last-minute panic regarding incomings and drawn out sagas that head into the final days of the summer window.
After a historic season, achieved with limited resources, the time is now to kick on and cement a spot among the Premier League's very best. Ensuring Howe gets his wish of early deals through the door will go a long way to making that happen.
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