Newcastle may have to sell a couple of star players in this summer's transfer window
Lewis Hall and Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United
Lewis Hall and Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United (Image: MI News/NurPhoto)
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Newcastle United are arguably still picking up the pieces from last summer's Alexander Isak transfer saga.
Isak's long protracted move to Liverpool was finally rubber stamped on transfer deadline day but it was allowed to drag on for far too long.
Newcastle played without a striker for the opening three matches of the season and ended up being backed into a corner and perhaps overspending to sign Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa for a combined £124million in the final days of the transfer window.
Heading into this summer, there is talk of players leaving the club again but CEO David Hopkinson has warned that while the Magpies are preparing for that eventuality, any player will leave Newcastle on their terms.
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"If an Isak-like scenario presents itself again, any player under contract is going to leave on our terms," Hopkinson said. "We're going to maximise the opportunity that might represent for the club."
Newcastle have five players who will inevitably attract attention from some of the Premier League's biggest clubs.
Sandro Tonali and Tino Livramento have been linked with moves to Arsenal and Manchester City. Anthony Gordon has also been linked with the Gunners and his boyhood club Liverpool. Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Hall have also been linked with moves away from Newcastle and while losing Tonali, Livramento or Gordon would hurt Newcastle, it is Guimaraes and Hall who simply should not be for sale under any circumstances this summer.
And that has only been further reinforced by the Premier League Team of the Season nominees being announced on Wednesday morning and Guimaraes and Hall being the only two Newcastle players to make the cut.
That is perhaps indicative of a season which currently sees the Magpies lie in 12th place but amid their struggles, it is Guimaraes and Hall who have remained a class apart and among the best players in the division in their positions.
Guimaraes has enjoyed his best scoring season since joining the club, with his nine goals coming in some vital moments of the season. Without the captain putting the team on his back at times, it is worrying to think how much worse off they would be in the Premier League table.
The Brazil international scored crucial goals in wins over Nottingham Forest, Burnley twice, Crystal Palace and Leeds United and has been consistently excellent in a season where his team-mates have lacked any consistency at all.
So, too, has Hall, who has emerged as the Premier League's best left-back and has a huge case to be starting for England in this summer's World Cup. His defensive ability has improved leaps and bounds under Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall and his close control in tight situations is a joy to behold.
His performance against Lamine Yamal in the first leg of Newcastle's Champions League last 16 clash with Barcelona earned him huge plaudits but it was no surprise to anyone who has watched Newcastle on a weekly basis this season.
Any rebuild this summer has to be around Guimaraes and Hall. If other star players are expendable, those two are not and the latest recognition from the Premier League should only cement that belief.
You can vote for Guimaraes and Hall to be named in the Premier League team of the season, here.
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