Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is understood to have had the green light to spend in the summer transfer market after high-level talks with PIF.
Howe sat around the table with high profile figures from the club’s Saudi-backers including Yasir Al-Rumayyan, sporting director Paul Mitchell and CEO Darren Eales this week to discuss plans moving into the summer. After raising concerns about the squad going “stale” Howe looks to have got his wish in terms of fresh investment.
And Newcastle look like they have moved to the front of the queue to sign Malaga youngster Antonio Cordero with the 18-year-old in line to become one of the first signings ahead of the 2025/26 season. The Magpies have been restricted on signings after being trapped by the jaws of PSR rules.
It remains to be seen how much Newcastle can spend with estimates of around £80m-£100m from some observers. Newcastle are hardly going to advertise how big the transfer kitty will be but insiders feels that positive signs emerged from the host of meetings held at Maften Hall in Northumberland.
But as Newcastle move away from a three-year cycle, Howe is expected to get backing in the window after three barren trading periods. However, emphasis behind the scenes has been placed on a couple of important factors ahead of what should be a better summer.
Qualifying for the Champions League will boost any chances of signing what Howe has described as a a more “established signing” in Press conferences. And nobody behind the scenes, with financial chief Simon Capper involved in the three-day summit, needs to be told that Newcastle must continue to cut their cloth accordingly.
It means that big decisions lie ahead for senior stars like Matt Targett, Jamaal Lascelles and Callum Wilson who will all be out of contract in the summer and have not played a lot of football. Howe was dealt a blow last May when he wanted to give Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie extensions but the club’s lack of European participation meant the contract offers were denied by the board.
With Newcastle looking to add a host of young players like Cordero in the summer and recent arrivals such as Irish whizzkid Kyle Fitzgerald and Baran Yildiz, a fresher line of back-up players is set to be made available to Howe moving forward. Although, Condero may be loaned back to Malaga for a season after signing permanently.
Speaking about what the next steps, Howe said: “I think it can in the future. In terms of an actual date for that, that is very difficult to predict from my perspective.
“Definitely, I think if there is a willingness and ideas and bright thinking, we can get there. It may take a bit of time because these clubs that we are talking about are way ahead of us in terms of their income, but that is all part of the club’s growth, and that will take time. I think everyone would acknowledge that.
“Purely in terms of investment and taking the team forward, of course, we have taken a bit of a hit, and we understand that, and I acknowledge that, but it is through no one’s fault, and we have to live in the world of the reality.
“We know that we want to take the team forward again. We are desperate to do that. We have ideas to do that, and hopefully, we can make that happen in the future.”
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/newcastle-united-transfer-budget-update-31082882
