Newcastle United will need to bring in reinforcements this summer, but the Premier League’s profit and sustainability restrictions will once again constrain the Magpies.
Eddie Howe has predicted that Newcastle United will have a ‘tough’ summer due to numerous ‘unknown forces’ at play.
Newcastle’s owners have spent more than £400 million to date, but past January marked the first time the Magpies did not make any senior signings since the acquisition. Newcastle even turned down a loan move for Kalvin Phillips for financial concerns, which turned out to be a gift, as it was ‘impossible’ for the Magpies to bring a player in without letting someone go.
In actuality, it was a quite uneventful month overall. Premier League clubs were hesitant of making mid-season decisions that may effect summer expenditure or, worse, put them in violation of the top flight’s profit and sustainability criteria after Everton’s points deduction sent shockwaves through boardrooms throughout the country in December.
It is worth mentioning that Newcastle’s coffers will be enhanced this summer by the latest round of TV money, cash from Champions League games, a lucrative sponsorship contract with Adidas, and a post-season trip to Australia. However, Howe has already stated that overseeing a major makeover will be “almost impossible” due to the high cost of finding elite Premier League players.
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Take Newcastle’s backline, for example. Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles will be out of action until at least October, and maybe as late as December, due to significant knee injuries. In an ideal world, Newcastle could consider bringing in two quality centre-backs to support Fabian Schar and Dan Burn, who has moved into the heart of defence from left-back due to necessity, but this would have an impact on the Magpies’ other priorities on the pitch.
“It’s going to be a difficult summer,” Howe told reporters. “Not to say what positions we want to improve, because I would have my idea where I want to take the team, but there are a lot of unknown factors going into the summer so it’s going to be quite difficult to prepare for what’s going to happen.”
