According to reports, Newcastle United is the only Premier League club not to break their transfer fee record this window.
Nearly every article you read about Newcastle United’s transfer window activity will be a negative one. Toon Army and critics are demanding the club spend more money to satisfy Rafa Benitez and secure the club’s position back in the Premier League. The manager clearly wants more players in, but also acknowledges the transfer window has been ridiculous. In fact, Newcastle is reportedly the only club in the EPL to not break their previous transfer record this summer. I may be in the minority, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.
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This Newcastle United roster won’t be competing for the top spots in the Premier League this season, anyone can admit that. Also, Mike Ashley recently confessed the club can’t go toe to toe financially with the likes of Manchester City and the other giant English sides. Those revelations lead me to believe a couple points. One, the Magpies are not one or two players away from becoming a powerhouse in the league. Two, NUFC most likely won’t win a bidding war with Manchester United over Romelu Lukaku for instance. Instead of attempting to break the bank on a massive player and putting the club’s future in their hands, Newcastle United has made smart, calculated investments. This allows them to fill positions of need with players of high potential, rather than bet the farm on a player that could haunt the club for years, both financially and for the fans, emotionally.
Christian Atsu’s loan deal from last season was made into a permanent one this summer. That deal was around 7.5 million and the speedster finally has a place to call home after bouncing around on loans from Chelsea. His play against Spurs showcased a newfound confidence. Florian Lejeune was brought to the club from Eibar for less than 10 million. In the time before he was crumpled by Harry Kane, he’s looked like a top class defender that can help distribute as well. Jacob Murphy was the priciest maneuver for the club at just under 11 million. He is only 22 years old and entering his prime after starring for England’s U-21 World Cup winning side. Javier Manquillo and Mikel Merino are both coming off rough stops in their young careers, but they are young and their fees were not substantial. Merino’s is technically a loan deal this season before a permanent move next year. Finally, the club added Joselu this week for under 5 million. He’s played striker at the top leagues in Europe and is a massive position of need.
The deals don’t even add up to a fraction of the aforementioned massive transfer fee ManU spent on Lukaku. While he looked great last week, would Manchester United fans be thrilled with the big spending if he doesn’t produce? Of course not. Newcastle United will still be active in the transfer market the rest of this month, as they should be. There are multiple players ready to be sold and some holes that still need to be filled. But, Newcastle not overspending in this crazy transfer market is not a bad thing. Toon Army is unhappy with the lack of spending, but they would be equally or more unhappy if a massive transfer failed to produce Tyneside. Newcastle United may not be spending big, but they’re spending smart.