There’s plenty of expectation for Newcastle after the new ownership takeover through the PIF bid putting in a stupendous amount of money in the club. After signing players like Sven Botman in the transfer window to a $30+ million price tag, there’s plenty of watching and waiting from other clubs and fans on what they will do with that massive amount cash.
However, it isn’t exactly the all-in approach may expect for a club with so much capital to their name. The Magpies have been far more patient in their transfer approach overall, even with the signing of the highly-touted Dutchman. With rules in the EPL surrounding the pursuit to prevent “buying championships” post-Manchester City and Chelsea takeovers in the 2000s, the cautious approach seems to be the most wise.
The movement from Newcastle United in preseason is definitely not over. But, it is fun to speculate what the moves already made will do for the club next season and what potential moves they could make very soon..
The Haul So Far
The headliner of Newcastle’s transfer haul so far is Sven Botman, who broke a transfer record for the club. A heavy price tag for a sought-after young defenseman, which could be the start of creating an identity for Newcastle. The central defender is just 22 years old, he definitely could use some more help on the backend, but Botman is a great foundational player.
Speaking of help on the backend, Newcastle added left-back Matt Targett. The Englishman has over 11,000 minutes of Premier League expirirence with 3 goals and 10 assists to his name. When it comes to last line of defense former Burnley Keeper Nick Pope was brought in at $16.5 million in market value.
Even with these moves in the most recent transfer window, there’s still more to be done for the Magpies if they want to compete for a top-6 finish.
Who They Could Target
The first major improvement to be made is out in the front of the starting 11. Newcastle has been building from the back this offseason, but they need a player to pour in the goals. Last season they finished with 44 goals as a team, which was 12th in the Premier League. With no scorers in the top 20 leaderboard for goals an offensive game changer is the biggest need.
This is definitely a bit of a long shot since he’s being targeted by many clubs, but maybe a US wonder is the best player to pursue. Christain Pulisic isn’t a given to transfer this year, but he hasn’t received the playing time he’s expected in Chelsea. If he’s open to one, Newcastle could be a great fit. With 19 goals so far in his Premier League career, there’s been a held breath for him to become one of the absolute best in soccer. Newcastle can give him that opportunity.
It would certainly be a hefty bag for Newcastle to give up in order to get a player like Pulisic, and it would be a mostly uncharachistic splash move for them to make. So if not Pulisic, there still needs to be offensive help on the right side of pitch. There’s still a handful of weeks before the season starts, keep your eyes on Newcastle not only in the window, but in the table as well.
