Bazoumana Toure, Sean Steur and Ewen Jaouen
Cut the emotion, the desire, hope, and optimism. Can the signing of two 20-year-olds and an 18-year-old compensate Newcastle United for the loss of a couple of global superstars when a third is apparently also seeking his discharge papers?
Hope so but no, hope so but no, hope so but no - especially with Bruno said to be wanting to go to Arsenal. Such speculation over his future has pulled the comfort blanket from around every Geordie and plunged them into despair.
What awaits us if the skipper goes? The domino effect? Lewis Hall next, then Tino Livramento in January after proving his fitness. That is the growing fear.
United would be seen as more than a stepping stone if Bruno shot off. They would become a path to better things signposted in big clear letters.
Of course there is hope that Arsenal can be headed off at the pass before they ride into town. I'm told that Bruno wants to go to the smoke but is not prepared to cause the sort of waves that Alexander Isak did to force a way out. He wants to protect his legacy on Tyneside.
Meantime the club are saying he is not for sale but we have heard that before. There is a lot more water to flow under the Tyne Bridge before all will be settled one way or another.
Regardless United are swimming in perilous waters and were before talk of a Guimareas Getaway was first mooted.
In truth it is asking too much and totally unfair to expect a bunch of kids to replace seasoned internationals and keep us firmly on the road to our dreams. A few Geordies who desperately want their pint pot to be half full rather than half empty have suggested such to me following our trio of signings but I cannot honestly buy into wall-to-wall excitement.
Truth is none of us know in any detail about those who are going to carry our colours. If they can step up to Premier League standard straight away come August despite their tender years and inexperience. That's a big, big ask.
These are lads from the French second division (Ewen Jaouen at Stade Reims), a teenager who has played 25 games in the Eredivisie (Sean Steur), and a winger from the Budesliga (Bazoumana Toure). Bairns chock full of potential maybe but have United in their new desire to secure tomorrow been prepared to overlook today?
There are harsh questions which have to be asked and answered not least to give our fresh faced youngsters a chance rather than have fans over expect and be full of deflation if they don't rip up a division which is more than a class above their usual habitat.
Toure, by far the most advanced in experience, cost us £42m, Steur £23m, and Jaouen £18.5m rising to £24.2m. What's more United's next target is also 20 years old but at least has the sort of pedigree to excite. And thereby lies the problem. Johan Manzambi, an attacking midfielder with Freiburg, has starred in Switzerland's creative department at the World Cup to such an extent that all Europe's glamour clubs have been put on red alert.
United have wiggle room because we have already banked £170m from the sales of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali \_ excellent profits for players wanting out. However it is unfair to put up Toure as the answer to losing Gordon to Barcelona and Steur as the new Tonali. His initial task is to get past Lewis Miley for goodness sake!
All three will have a tough enough job settling in and making the Evel Knievel jump into the PL without carrying an extra burden of immediate expectancy.
To be honest unless unforeseen circumstances arise come the opening day of a new PL season against Liverpool the goalkeeper will not start, nor will the 18-year-old, which leaves only Toure as a possibility and he will have to shoulder aside the goal threat of Harvey Barnes.
Ross Wilson has been bold and brave. He has also been a gambler and, fine, he has backed his own judgement and the judgement of his scouts.
Wilson of course helped spirit Elliot Anderson away to Nottingham Forest in what was an absolute steal and if any of his current crop of kids turn out as good as him and as quickly as he did we will hail our new director of football as a genius.
Anderson at £35m is the level Wilson needs to hit and will be judged by. Good luck to him . . . this time it would be to our advantage rather than our embarrassment. Ironically Elliot at the time he joined Forest fit the new Newcastle identikit profile both in terms of age and price.
Nevertheless United need some experience to replace those who have gone or are going if they are to impact the PL. There is an awful lot of work still to be done and while there is time to do it in we had better get going double quick and fill in the escape tunnels being dug at SJP.