Sky Sports News’ North East correspondent Keith Downie gives an update on Eddie Howe’s future, his priorities in the summer transfer window and the interest in Anthony Gordon.
What’s the latest on Eddie Howe’s future?
It feels like the Newcastle manager is at a crossroads this summer.
After four-and-a-half years in charge at St James’ Park, he has etched himself into Newcastle lore and will go down as one of Newcastle’s greatest ever managers. However, the team is changing and rebuilding this summer will be a major undertaking.
Mr Howe’s family has settled in Tyneside, where he made the move from the south coast. He has been loved for most of his time at Newcastle.
However, in recent weeks there has been growing opposition from fans who feel the team has taken a step backwards this season. Manager Howe will know how they feel, and the players who stayed on for a “lap of thanks” made it clear after last month’s 2-1 defeat at arch-rivals Sunderland.
There are also mitigating factors. This was due to last summer’s poor transfer market and a busy schedule with no midweek breaks from November to the end of March. But there’s a general feeling that things may be getting stale.
With the fact that Newcastle won’t have the intensity of the Champions League next season, things could absolutely change with an injection of fresh blood and some good recruitment this summer, but they need to work quickly in the transfer market.
After a one-on-one lunch with Howe, CEO David Hopkinson also emphasized that discussions about the future can wait now.
There are big decisions ahead for Howe and the club.
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Newcastle manager Eddie Howe reflects on Newcastle’s defeat against Crystal Palace
What’s the next update on Gordon?
Anthony Gordon has been at Newcastle for over three seasons and there is a good chance he will leave this summer. The winger has become a regular in England since working under Howe and the prospect of no Champions League football does not bode well for Newcastle to keep him beyond the summer.
Sky Sports News also reported that Tino Libramento and Sandro Tonali could also leave as the club looks to move on from the Newcastle trio.
Newcastle paid the highest transfer fee in Premier League history when they sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool, but if each club makes a formal approach to sign Gordon, they will likely ask for a huge sum again.
What are your major expenses? That would be around double the £40m the club paid him in 2023, plus £5m in add-ons. The club is in a good negotiating position as he still has four years left on his current contract.
Anthony Gordon celebrates after scoring Newcastle’s opening goal against Sunderland
He is also the third top scorer in this season’s Champions League, which has also been noticed on the continent.
Sky Sports News understands the 25-year-old is still conducting himself in a professional manner and is keeping his head down for the final six games of the season.
Newcastle CEO David Hopkinson recently told reporters that Newcastle may need to sell to buy a large stake this summer, and that Gordon is one of the club’s best assets.
If Newcastle were to raise around £75-80m for Gordon, they would have more freedom in the market and would be given some welcome funding.
They themselves were big spenders, with an expenditure of £250 million.
Newcastle will feel the cost of their splurge on reinforcements this summer unless they can rebalance by selling one or more of their assets.
It could be a big period for Newcastle with a lot of variables, with up to eight players coming and going.
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Sky Sports News’ Keith Downey reflects on Eddie Howe’s press conference when asked about speculation linking Anthony Gordon to Arsenal
What players and positions are Newcastle targeting this summer?
Newcastle’s priorities this summer are a striker and a goalkeeper.
The £125m spent on Nick Waltemaide and Yoan Wissa last summer didn’t help. Both players will benefit from training throughout pre-season, but the general feeling in power is that another new striker will improve the squad.
Wissa has not fully recovered from the knee injury he sustained in September, and Woltemade has been used by Howe in midfield recently.
But big bids for either player may be something the club needs to listen to this summer. Remember that Voltemede was signed from Stuttgart for a club-record £69m and remains Germany’s number one striker.
Eddie Howe to substitute for Nick Waltemaid in Champions League match against PSV
Both players were on the bench in Newcastle’s 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday, but it felt like a big message from Howe, who favored Will Osla at the heart of his attack.
A big World Cup for Waltemade would help all parties.
Newcastle are also widely expected to sign a goalkeeper this summer.
Aaron Ramsdale did a decent job on loan from Southampton but is not seen as a long-term option for Newcastle.
Newcastle came agonizingly close to signing James Trafford last summer, so expect a similar move for a similar goalkeeper this window.
How did last summer’s recruiting efforts impact future spending?
As mentioned above, Newcastle spent a lot of money on six players last summer, one of whom was on loan. It’s a huge undertaking by anyone’s standards.
Woltemade will be paid £69m, Wissa and Anthony Elanga will each receive £55m, Jacob Ramsey will receive £43m, Malik Thiau will receive £30m and Ramsdale will receive a club record £4m.
Nick Waltemade reacts after missing a scoring chance against Bournemouth
Unless a deal works out this summer, that spending will impact Newcastle’s future.
Mr Howe was without a sporting director at the start of last summer, causing problems in recruitment for the club and manager.
They missed out on a number of top targets, with moves from Trafford, Hugo Ekitike, Brian Mbeumo, João Pedro and Benjamin Sesco failing.
Howe has been at the forefront of that, saying in a recent press conference that all of these signs were his and should be judged by that.
Thiau has enjoyed a successful £30m move from AC Milan, while Ramsey has impressed in recent months after joining from Aston Villa.
Newcastle United’s Jacob Ramsey celebrates after scoring his second goal of the match
The midfielder has had injury problems this season, but I expect him to be a big player for Newcastle next season.
Although Waltemade got off to a strong start, it was decided that it did not suit his style and he was moved from position to position. This has been a point of debate among fans who believe that Howe’s tactics should have been changed to accommodate Waltemade, rather than being pushed back into midfield where he looked out of place.
Both Wissa and Elanga didn’t do well, but I expect both to improve after a full preseason.
But you can’t help but think that if Waltemade, Wissa or Elanga had performed as well as Isak, who signed from Real Sociedad in 2022, Newcastle would have been in the hunt for Champions League qualification.
It’s unfortunate for them that all of the bad recruiting efforts seemed to be happening under one single point of contact. This season has cost them dearly.
Newcastle may have to sell if they are to bring in the players they want this summer – even if that means losing one or more of Tonali, Gordon and Livramento, who have attracted interest.
