Newcastle United transfers: Eddie Howe was asked about the contrasting summer transfer business between his side and Manchester United.
Newcastle have won each of their last three home matches against Manchester United but have lost five of their last six in the Premier League heading into Wednesday’s match.
Meanwhile, Man United have experienced an upturn in form under Michael Carrick having won six of their last seven and climbing up to third in the table.
Newcastle and Manchester United sat level on points when Carrick was appointed, yet now the Red Devils are 15 points clear of Eddie Howe’s side.
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Manchester United’s summer transfer impact
The impact of Man United’s £200million worth of summer signings in Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha has been felt in recent weeks during the upturn in form. All three players were targeted by Newcastle as potential signings last summer but they ultimately lost out to Man United on all three.
Newcastle’s transfer business having missed out on the trio has faced intense scrutiny this season as the club have struggled for consistency in the Premier League along with the added demands of Champions League football and progress deep into the Carabao Cup.
A near £250million summer spend on Anthony Elanga, Malick Thiaw, Nick Woltemade, Jacob Ramsey and Yoane Wissa has ultimately left Newcastle looking worse off compared to last season having sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a Premier League record £130million fee.
“Recruitment is everything,” Howe admitted. “And I think if you get that wrong, it's very difficult to have the success that you want.
“I think, again, with recruitment, I think you've got to take a longer term view. Because I think you can take a very short term view and make big assumptions that could be wrong.
“So I think if you take a long term view of our recruitment, certainly since I've been here, I think it's been excellent. I think when you look back, percentage wise, I'm not sure there'd be a club that would have the success rate that we've had.
“Then you look at, of course, short term and you can make mistakes. I think you've got to look at it over a longer term period.
“Case in point would be Jacob Ramsey. Just give players a bit of time to prove their worth and to settle into what we asked them to do. I think there's a lot to take in there.”
Howe went on to reference his admiration for Manchester United’s signings despite losing out on them.
“I think Manchester United have recruited really well,” Howe added. “The players mentioned are outstanding players. Players that we were aware of in the summer. So, well done to them.
“I think for us, I'm really happy with the new players that we've got. Of course, they're all in different journeys to reach their best level. I believe they will get there.
“I'm really happy with the squad. But, of course, we've got work to do to be at our best level.”
What does the summer hold for NUFC?
It’s shaping up to be another busy summer for Newcastle with several contracts coming to an end and uncertainty over the futures of several key players.
Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar are two regular first-team players when fit but are both out of contract in the summer. Tino Livramento, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have all been linked with potential summer exits but would each command a significant fee.
Looking ahead to the summer, Howe said: “I think we've got a very open mind. I don't care where we sign players from, as long as they're good enough to take the team to the next level.
“What club we're signing, what league we're signing them from is irrelevant to me. As long as we've got the information on the player, we've been tracking him for long enough to have a really good, strong, stable opinion on what they are actually like and whether that player can adapt to the Premier League.
“The country we're signing from is irrelevant. Of course, price and availability and all the other factors that you take in, there's so much that goes into it.
“But certainly, I'm very open-minded in terms of where we're signing players from. I think we've proved that with the players that we've signed since I've been here.”
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