Newcastle are set to broaden their horizons in the summer transfer window and there is one area in particular they could raid
19:00, 29 Mar 2026
Nathan de Cat, Joaquin Seys and Anan Khalaili have stood out in Belgium
When the summer transfer window rolls around at the end of the season, we are expecting to see a major shift in Newcastle United’s transfer policy.
A lot of Newcastle’s recruitment in the past has been Premier League heavy – recruiting players who ‘know the division’ so they hit the ground running.
The logic is sound and the belief is United would be signing someone who is Premier League ready and can just plug in and play without the need to adapt to a new country, a new culture, and in some cases, a new language.
Four of Newcastle’s six summer signings this season fitted that bill but with that proven experience comes transfer prices at a premium. That only heightens the pressure on those signings to succeed – certainly from a financial point of view.
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Just last summer, United spent a combined £110million on Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa, both of whom excelled at other Premier League clubs last season. Yet, both players have struggled to replicate that form on Tyneside thus far and failed to justify the huge transfer fees paid to prise them away from Nottingham Forest and Brentford respectively.
Ross Wilson’s arrival as sporting director in October followed a tumultuous summer at St James’ Park where they acted without one and he is expected to take a much different approach in the summer transfer window.
In the latest weekly Sunday column from Newcastle United reporter Sean McCormick, Chronicle Live has taken a look at one specific area the former Nottingham Forest transfer chief looks set to target.
Newcastle’s change in transfer strategy
When Chronicle Live met Wilson in December, he outlined then there would be a shift in the club’s recruitment strategy, suggesting there is more value to be had by targeting players outside of the Premier League.
“I think it’s always easy to judge recruitment in the past,” Wilson said.
“I’ve been there myself. I think you’ve always got to judge recruitment with the context of time and what the need is at that specific time. Obviously, this club has been on a really interesting journey in recent times, from a relegation battle to a Champions League club, and that requires different things in different moments. That’s the first thing I would say.
“The second thing I would say is that the club had to navigate a really difficult period in the summer with Paul [Mitchell, former sporting director] moving on right at the end of last season or maybe a month later. They were operating without a sporting director in place.
“Obviously I couldn’t be here because I was still part of my previous club’s plans for that summer transfer window which was important there, and I respected that. Darren [Eales, former CEO] had to step away as well at the same time, so that wasn’t easy.
“But the club ultimately navigated that in a way that’s got us the squad we’ve got now, and there’s been some excellent acquisitions that have come from that summer period. Moving forward, we definitely want to expand our recruitment network.
“We’ve already done that, to be honest, in my time here. We’ve already expanded the recruitment network. We’ll continue to do so as we move forward.
“I think it’s also clear that we feel that it’s highly likely, not always, but highly likely that there’ll be more value outside of the Premier League than there is in it. It’s not always the case, but I think it would be a fair assumption to say that’s something we’ll be looking into.”
Newcastle United sporting director Ross Wilson (L) is set for his first big summer transfer window
Brentford striker Igor Thiago
Thiago, who recently received his first call-up to the Brazil squad, joined Brentford for £30million and his goals have ensured they have not missed Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, for whom they sold for a combined £166million.
Anderlecht, too, have an academy with one of the best reputations in European football and have produced some of European football’s finest talents.
Vincent Kompany, Romelu Lukaku, Dries Mertens and Marouane Fellaini all came through the system at the Brussels club and Jeremy Doku, Youri Tielemans and Bart Verbruggen are also from their production line and currently thriving in the Premier League.
It is little wonder, then, that three players Newcastle are actively monitoring, come from the Belgian market, and those three aforementioned clubs.
Club Brugge left-back Joaquin Seys, who is already a Belgium international at the age of 20, is on the club’s list of left-backs as they look to sign some competition for Lewis Hall.
Club Brugge midfielder Joaquin Seys and Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Israeli winger Anan Khalaili, who played against Newcastle for Union SG in the Champions League earlier this season, is another player the Magpies are known to have watched, while Anderlecht youngster Nathan De Cat is another player to watch. The 17-year-old midfielder has played 38 times this season and has just earned his first call-up to the Belgium national team.
Sunderland and Manchester United have already benefited
It is a market that Newcastle’s fiercest rivals Sunderland have raided successfully this season.
The jury is still out on January signing Nilson Angulo from Anderlecht but Noah Sadiki, 21, signed from Union SG in the summer, has arguably been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League this season.
And Chemsdine Talbi, 20, signed from Club Brugge, scored in last Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby win over Newcastle, having also scored important goals against Chelsea, Liverpool and Burnley this season.
“There were plenty of questions around how Sunderland would attack the summer transfer window after winning promotion back to the Premier League, and while the likes of Reinildo, Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele and Brian Brobbey were unprecedented arrivals, the likes of Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi and, more recently, Nilson Angulo were not,” Chronicle Live’s Sunderland reporter Matty Hewitt said.
Chemsdine Talbi of Sunderland
“The trio were a ‘level up’ on Sunderland’s recruitment strategy which has stood them so well on their rise from League One. Recruit young diamonds in the rough and polish them into your own.
“All three have played a considerable amount of football at a good level – in contrast to the younger more expensive home grown talents they recruited on their rise up the leagues.
“Belgian clubs repeatedly qualify for European football and the country is a hotbed for rising stars. Not just Belgian talents, but the fact they’re in the EU allows the likes of Brighton to find away round any work permit issues they may have in bringing young talents from South America.
“Clubs in Belgium can’t offer huge wages, nor demand astronomical transfer fees. Hence why the likes of Sunderland and Brighton see the league as a viable alternative to compete with the big-six. It’s a strategy that has paid dividends for the Seagulls and is clearly an area the Black Cats are targeting.”
And as both Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale have struggled in Newcastle’s goal this season, it has been hard not to look enviously across to Manchester United’s Senne Lammens, who has excelled at Old Trafford after being plucked from the relative obscurity of Royal Antwerp.
“United’s recruitment last summer was a mix of Premier League-proven players (Mbeumo and Cunha) and data-driven signings from abroad (Sesko and Lammens),” Steven Railston, Manchester United reporter for the Manchester Evening News, told Chronicle Live.
“United have overhauled their data department and invested heavily in staff to improve. They believe data can provide an edge in the transfer market, and Lammens ranked highly across all key metrics during his time playing in Belgium.
“Lammens was not a secret in scouting circles – he was known to have big potential – but the way he has seamlessly adapted to life in the Premier League at 23 has been remarkable. He transmits confidence to the team, whereas his predecessor, Andre Onana, transmitted nerves. Data-driven signings are riskier, but the pay-off can be huge if the player is right.
“Lammens is certainly the right fit for United, and Newcastle would do well to crunch their own numbers to find a replacement for Nick Pope.”
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