Sean Steur
View 2 Images
If a week is a long time in politics, then six weeks could be an eternity in football . . . and it's going to have to be if Eddie Howe is to be handed a Newcastle United first-team squad capable of challenging at the top end of the table.
While it's easy to focus on the negatives of the transfer window to date, those inside St James' Park remain confident of bringing at least three or four players to Tyneside before deadline day on September 1.
However those who wish to ridicule, and there appear to be plenty right now, point to the decisions of Victor Munoz and Johan Manzambi to move to Liverpool and Aston Villa respectively instead of Newcastle, plus the departures of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, and claim United's dreams are in tatters.
Add in speculation over captain Bruno Guimaraes' future and it paints a sorry picture.
That is only half the story, of course, with United chiefs keen to highlight the signing of three exciting young players for the first-team squad in Dutch midfielder Sean Steur, winger Bazoumana Toure and back-up goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen.
*Get Chronicle Premium now for just £1*HERE– exclusive news and features, our NUFC and Academy notebooks, John Gibson's columns plus an ad-lite experience****
All three are expected to be stars of the future, but when guaranteed talent is replaced by potential, you can't blame supporters for wanting more.
The wheels continue to turn behind the scenes, and it should not be overlooked that the deals for Steur and Toure were done quickly and without a huge amount of speculation beforehand.
More will have to follow, with those who have not been on World Cup duty returning for pre-season training this week as the big kick-off looms into focus.
Newcastle's first Premier League game, against Liverpool on home turf on August 23, is now less that six weeks away, and it doesn't take an in-depth stufy of Howe's squad to see where reinforcements are needed.
If the season started tomorrow - and let's presume everyone was fit and available - it's hard to argue the strongest XI is not weaker than at any time since that first season under PIF.
Jaouen may be a star of the future, but he was signed as a No 2, which means Nick Pope would start in goal as things stand.
The back four remains strong, if unchanged, with Tino Livramento, Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman and Lews Hall at least offering a solid base to build from. Fabian Schar and Dan Burn will also have plenty to say about who starts in the centre of defence.
A midfield shorn of Tonali will inevitably be weaker, and losing Bruno doesn't bear thinking about, particularly when you consider the other options available.
Lewis Miley is another certified star of the future, but may well be asked to play a senior role this season, and while there is excitement over Steur, the former Ajax midfielder is still only 18.
Only Jacob Ramsey could muster any arguement to start ahead of Joelinton, but the Brazilian remains a key part of the engine room.
Perhaps the biggest issues lie at the cutting edge, where an already misfiring front line is yet to be improved. Toure's arrival will compensate for Gordon's exit at least in terms of another body, but it seems a lot to expect the Ivory Coast star to replace Gordon in terms of goals and assists so early on in his career.
Neither Jacob Murphy nor Anthony Elanga could hold down a first-team place last season and yet the pair remain the only right-wing options, but the biggest question mark remains over who will lead the line.
William Osula ended the season in possession of the shirt, and little has changed to suggest that won't continue. Nick Woltemade's World Cup was over before it began, although United will have been heartened by Yoane Wissa's two-goal contribution for DR Congo.
Can it be the catalyst to kick-start his Newcastle career? Certainly things can't go any worse than they did last season for the former Brentford man, but he has plenty to prove in pre-season.
Newcastle United's potential starting XI and back-up options
Newcastle United's current squad as the players return for pre-season
Newcastle United's squad as the players return for pre-season
View 2 Images
The Newcastle hierarchy will continue not to panic when it comes to incoming transfers, and it would be a major surprise if there aren't several new faces beore the season gets under way.
But as the graphic above shows, the new arrivals cannot come soon enough to alievate the growing sense of unease.
Newcastle United are aiming to rebuild a squad capable of firing them back to the Champions League this summer, with a huge transfer window ahead of us. With players likely to leave and a host of names linked with a move to St James' Park, it's going to be a fascinating few months.
By signing up to our daily newsletters, you'll get all the latest news emailed straight to your inbox. As soon as there is breaking NUFC news, we'll dispatch it directly to you, along with daily round-ups of the best Newcastle United content from ChronicleLive's football desk.
It's easy, FREE and takes seconds: click on this link to our newsletter sign up form. Scroll to 'Sport - Newcastle United updates', tick that box, Enter your email address, then click 'save changes' and you're all done.
You won't miss a single thing.