Eddie Howe now starts to really get his 2024/25 Newcastle United first-team squad into shape – Here we go | OneFootball

It is now only six weeks until the 2024/25 Newcastle United first-team squad will be playing their first Premier League match of the season.

The campaign kicking off for NUFC on Saturday 17 August, a 3pm kick-off at home against promoted Southampton.

Time is of the essence, as Eddie Howe is looking to shape his 2024/25 Premier League first-team squad well ahead of the competitive matches starting.

With such a value put on the work done on the training ground and fitness, by the Newcastle United Head Coach, he will want to integrate new signings into his way of thinking and doing things ASAP.

Plus of course, move out those who aren’t in his plans moving forward.

We saw Karius, Ritchie, Watts, Dummett, and Hendrick all announced as players not getting their contracts extended.

Then the new VAR deadline day saw Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson depart.

On the incoming side, these recent days have seen the following all become permanent signings – Lewis Hall, John Ruddy, Lloyd Kelly and Odysseas Vlachodimos.

Which then means we are currently left with these 31 potential members of the Newcastle United first-team squad for the new season.

Nick Pope, Martin Dubravka, Odysseas Vlachodimos, John Ruddy, Mark Gillespie

Full-backs:

Kieran Trippier, Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento, Matt Targett, Emil Krafth, Harrison Ashby

Central defenders:

Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Lloyd Kelly, Jamaal Lascelles, Alex Murphy

Midfielders:

Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Sandro Tonali, Sean Longstaff, Lewis Miley, Isaac Hayden

Attacking midfielders / Wingers:

Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Joe Willock, Miguel Almiron, Jacob Murphy, Ryan Fraser

Strikers:

Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak

(Amongst those above, some don’t count towards the senior 25-man NUFC squad, as they are still rated as extras, under 21s: Lewis Hall, Lewis Miley, and Alex Murphy)

Unless you have been hiding in a cave this past week or more, you will be well aware of the debates/arguments endlessly played out about the departures of Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson.

The two young players, aged 19 and 21, with only 13 Premier League starts between them but with potential, seemingly sold for a combined £68m to solve a short-term PSR problem that allegedly saw £50m+ needed to be brought in by 30 June 2024, to prevent breaking those Premier League rules on how much a club can lose over any three year period.

Only time will tell whether they end up as superstars of the future, all that we can do is deal with the here and now.

Even before this transfer window kicked off in mid-June, I kept hearing/reading a lot of fans saying that we urgently needed massive strengthening in all kinds of areas of the Newcastle United first-team squad.

This has continued and for some got even worse in terms of their hysterical behaviour, with the Minteh and Anderson departures.

In an ideal world I would have preferred to see whether one or both of these players could end up as regular Premier Leageu starters at St James’ Park.

However, it wasn’t to be.

Whilst in the real world, the cold light of day, the reality is that the two outfield permanent signings Newcastle have concluded so far, Lewis Hall and Lloyd Kelly, will start a lot of NUFC first-team matches this 2024/25 season.

Whilst unless there had been a repeat of last season’s unprecedented club injury crisis, any starts for Minteh and/or Anderson would have been minimal.

Taking the Newcastle United first-team squad as a whole, I just don’t see this argument that Eddie Howe desperately has to seriously strengthen all kinds of positions.

Indeed, with Kelly and Hall, he has already filled two places in the squad that were in most need of action.

In the real world, roughly speaking, you can hope to have a quality player in each position and a very capable backup for each of them.

I look around this Newcastle United first-team squad and this is exactly what we pretty much have.

With where Newcastle United currently are on their rise and recovery from the Mike Ashley era, having two real quality players for every position is totally unrealistic. The finances make that impossible but for me Eddie Howe is doing wonders to get as close to that as possible, despite the PSR limitations.

No disrespect to the pair of them but I would say only on the right wing do Newcastle United currently miss a real quality option, unless of course Gordon moves over there, or Willock. Jacob Murphy and Miguel Almiron are more in the category of very capable backup.

I expect that to be the one position that does definitely get a new first choice quality recruit, with Almiron almost certainly leaving to help with the finance/PSR to allow it to happen.

Other than that though, where is the desperate need?

What we are talking about is bringing in the odd other new signings as very capable backups, rather than desperately needed new high quality first choice automatic starters.

Obviously I won’t complain if that happens (more new high quality first choice signings) but with everybody available and a new right wing first choice player brought in, why would you have a problem with playing any of these as your first choice Newcastle United players in the 2024/25 season – Pope, Trippier or Livramento, Schar, Botman, Hall, Tonali, Bruno, Joelinton, Gordon and Isak?

Yes, I am well aware that Botman will miss the opening months of the season and that Tonali will also be unavailable for the first few games, but this is where the very capable backups come in. Players such as Burn, Barnes, Longstaff, Willock, and Kelly, are all Premier League-proven players. Plus, it makes zero sense to spend silly money on short-term replacements who will become very expensive squad players as soon as Tonali and/or Botman are available.

I do think that further signings will come in and that will be at times linked a lot with others leaving.

Newcastle United may well sign another striker and if so, that would involve Callum Wilson being sold on.

As I mentioned, a new first-choice right-side attacking player, with almost certainly Miggy leaving.

A right-footed central defender to compete with and act as backup to Schar, looks more than likely.

Dubravka looks sure to leave and even with a couple of backup keepers signed this past week, I wouldn’t be surprised to still see another keeper come in to act as number two to Nick Pope.

As I said earlier, I simply don’t see there is any desperate need for all kinds of positions to desperately need expensive high quality new signings.

Instead, apart from potentially the right wing, more a case of sensible measured care taken in getting the Newcastle United first-team squad into a position where we have the best possible backup in every position, to the high-quality first-choice stars.