Newcastle United‘s summer strategy involves two “pools” of targets, signifying a marked change in transfer plans from the club’s previous approach.
The first pool of players, regarded as priority deals, will form the bedrock of a summer in which Newcastle will significantly shift their squad profile, injecting tactical versatility and energy into a team that has grown stale.
The second – and this is where this summer will be different – comprises players that the club are ready to pivot to quickly if an opportunity arises. Having a plan B that insiders are comfortable with is a notable change from 12 months ago, when Newcastle hesitated over alternatives to the gold standard targets that they kept missing out on.
Ewen Jaouen became Newcastle’s first summer signing after joining from Stade de Reims for £18m (Photo: Getty)
View Osasuna winger Victor Munoz and Ewen Jaouen – the highly promising goalkeeper Newcastle have just signed for a fee close to £18m with bonuses – as from the first pot. Zadok Yohanna, linked heavily last week but who ended up signing for Brighton, probably belongs in the second.
Had the opportunity arisen, Newcastle would likely have gotten involved. But the club suspect that given the market knows the kind of players they are targeting, they will be used to drive up prices and interest of stars they merely have as part of a longer list of names.
It feels like a more strategic way for Newcastle to do business – in and out. Deeper, more data-driven lists are the way forward. Crucially, there is “alignment” on what the club needs rather than different departments moving in different directions, which is what created some of last summer’s chaos.
Newcastle want quick business
The Magpies are in talks to sign Spain winger Victor Munoz who plays for La Liga club Osasuna (Photo: Getty)
After Jaouen, Newcastle want to expedite their move for an Anthony Gordon replacement, whose move to Barcelona has unlocked their ability to spend early in the summer window.
They are also keen on adding a “No 6”, a position Eddie Howe hasn’t considered a priority until recently and one that will give Newcastle greater flexibility and options to play different ways next year.
Although the World Cup has slowed the market, insiders are hopeful of another signing in the next couple of weeks, with “plenty of plates spinning”.
There is optimism around Munoz – with Newcastle working on the structure of the deal for weeks – and groundwork has been laid for a move for James Trafford, although that would require Nick Pope to leave.
James Trafford is facing an uncertain future at Man City despite only rejoining the club last year (Photo: Getty)
Sources have given an insight to The i Paper of how they are working, pointing out that the idea of the club “slapping in bids” for players is an old-fashioned view of how the market works.
Instead, dialogue has been ongoing over Newcastle’s priority targets for “weeks if not months”, including assessing different structures for potential deals and doing due diligence on whether the player retains interest in playing for the club even without Champions League – or indeed any form of European football.
They know the markets they are operating in and it means the spectre of a succession of knockbacks – which sapped morale last summer – is unlikely.
Few – if any – offers these days are submitted “cold” without significant talks taking place before. Most of the preliminary work is done over WhatsApps.
But sources believe prices will generally be lower than last summer, when huge striker moves drove significant expenditure across the Premier League.
The latest on two targets
Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara has been identified as a potential replacement for Sandro Tonali (Photo: Getty)
Newcastle do have “big deals” in them this summer and sought-after Lamine Camara, the Monaco midfielder, is one player in their crosshairs.
But they do not seem ready to trigger Munoz’s £34.5m release clause just yet though, with their summer budget heavily reliant on player trading to satisfy squad cost ratio rules that are imposed by Uefa.
The club are close to agreeing sanctions for breaching last year’s Uefa financial fair play rules and the sanction will include punishments if they record further significant losses. So, boxing clever is not just a preferred option, it’s the only one.
One more big sale ahead
It also means another big sale feels likely – a view that the club aren’t rebutting.
Nothing is close on that front although one source laughed at the prospect of Lewis Hall being sold for anything close to the £40m being mentioned in some Manchester United circles last week. If the amount got closer to double that, a conversation would likely start.
And Sandro Tonali’s future feels uncertain, too. The prospect of him leaving has been planned for at Newcastle but will depend on other movements in the market – when Elliot Anderson‘s future is certain, moves for Tonali may come. But if Anderson is worth £100m, Newcastle will not want a whole lot less for their star midfielder.
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The rules have effectively forced the Magpies’ hand on this front, with insiders pointing out that every Premier League club has to sell big players now.
But there is also an element of realism about where Newcastle’s project now stands. Missing out on Europe has impacted plans – some of their stars expect to be playing in those competitions year in, year out and want to explore other opportunities if they come along. Some of the targets they had in the first “pool” have Champions League options that will now trump Newcastle.
Ambition, insiders stress, remains. But having a clearer identity to sell to targets has already helped them sign one of the biggest goalkeeping prospects in Europe. Similar deals seem likely.