Eddie Howe recently spoke with Sky Sports, giving his thoughts on Newcastle’s transfer window so far.
The Magpies made some good additions to their backline. Nick Pope of Burnley was a shrewd purchase for £10m. The Englishman had been a remarkable shot-stopper for Burnley over the years, getting a national call-up as well.
They also signed Sveve Botman from Lille. AC Milan were admirers, but the Dutch centre-back decided to come to England in the end. It was a real statement of intent by the new owners to secure the signature of such a highly rated player.
However, additions up top have been a different story. Eddie Howe wanted Hugo Ekitike, but he is off to PSG. Timo Wener was another target, but the German looks closer to a move to former club RB Leipzig.
What Howe Said
When asked about the transfers, Howe maintained that he was content with the additions so far. However, there were more areas they would like to strengthen.
We are still looking for one/two players that can make a difference for us. We’ll never stop until the window shuts to try and add to the group. [It’s] no secret that we’ve been looking at a couple of attacking players that can make a difference for us.
Different profiles, you know, but as you say, until you get a deal over the line then we’ll continue to look and see what we can do. But as I’ve said, the pool of players we’re looking at is actually quite small, it’s not a huge amount of names. So that’s why the deals become difficult.
Despite missing out on some players, Newcastle will be quite happy with their squad since the last January window. They signed Chris Wood from Burnley, along with Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid. Bruno Guimares has been a sensational signing, showing his class in the second half of the season. Matt Target is another player they add to their ranks who has proven to be a success.
Additionally, the Magpies managed to keep hold of Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson. With all this in mind, the Toon Army can be optimistic about the new season.
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