Are these 3 Newcastle United signings enough to compete in Premier League and Champions League? | OneFootball

Newcastle United signings are the big talking point.

Or rather, the lack of Newcastle United signings, so far.

Only time will tell whether or not this summer will prove successful in the transfer market for Eddie Howe.

However, for both fans and the media, that won’t stop the intense debate in the meantime.

As always, very difficult to identify what you can believe in the coverage of potential/likely Newcastle United signings.

What there is a consensus on, is that after three transfer windows in a row without a single new first team contender brought in, this summer 2025 that will change.

On Friday, it was confirmed that the Lloyd Kelly Juventus move will become permanent. That will trigger more money and an eventual figure of close to £20m for Newcastle United. In the space of just over a year, it would mean four players sold for close to £100m (Minteh, Anderson, Almiron, Kelly) and almost all of that pure profit from a PSR perspective.

Of course, the sales of Anderson and Minteh were forced in June 2024, to ensure United stayed the right side of the three year PSR period (the seasons 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24).

However, at the same time that improved the PSR outlook for the following three year periods. With then the sales of Almiron and Kelly adding to that.

Then add a very positive 2024/25 season, on and off the pitch for Newcastle United, fair to assume that there is relatively serious scope to bring in new first team players.

Journalists love to speculate the £100m figure as the kind of figure United will spend on transfer fees this summer, a nice round number.

Personally, I think that will be the minimum we see spent.

Plus, I think for sure that at least Sean Longstaff will be sold of the existing players at St James’ Park. He has been almost completely ignored by Eddie Howe and surely the right time for him to move on. As a homegrown player his sale would also be pure profit from a PSR perspective, I think he is worth £15m of anybody’s money as a proven Premier League player who has also played Champions League football.

So, that then turns to the most interesting part of this debate, who to spend this summer transfer budget on…

My question is – Are these three Newcastle United signings enough to compete in Premier League and Champions League?

As I see it, I have absolute confidence that Eddie Howe will be bringing in at least three first team contenders and they are for the positions that have been endlessly talked about for a number of transfer windows.

A versatile right-sided attacking player who can also play through the middle, a right-sided central defender, a goalkeeper to compete with Nick Pope.

I think the goalkeeper will very likely be James Trafford BUT unlike others, I don’t believe any chance of Nick Pope leaving. Pope is by far Newcastle’s best keeper and most importantly, Eddie Howe clearly believes so. Absolutely no way going into such a massive season competing on four fronts, that Eddie Howe would pin all his hopes on a 22 year old relative rookie for the goalkeeping position. Trafford has great potential and just had a superb personal and team season in the Championship with Burnley, but he and Burnley had a nightmare in the 2023/24 Premier League season, so still some way to go in his development and proving he can do it at the top level.

I think it will be a very strong goalkeeping department if James Trafford comes in alongside Nick Pope, with four competitions the young keeper should get a decent number of matches and obviously working towards taking over long-term as number one.

As for the other two key positions.

The last 24 hours has seen claims that Newcastle United are back in for Anthony Elanga for that right-side versatile attacking position, the player himself has previously confirmed Eddie Howe’s interest in signing him.

Whilst obviously there was interest from Eddie Howe in signing Marc Guehi and now with only a year left on his Palace contract, every chance that Newcastle United will be back in for him.

So if Eddie Howe did make these three Newcastle United signings, does that equal enough at St James’ Park to compete in the Premier League and Champions League (and FA Cup and League Cup…)?

This would be how the 2025/26 Newcastle United first team could look:

Pope/Trafford

Livarmento

Guehi

Botman

Hall

Joelinton

Elanga

Isak

Gordon

You then would have a 2025/26 Newcastle United bench picking from the likes of:

Pope/Trafford, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Willock, Miley, Barnes, Murphy, Osula

Then other players:

Dubravka, Gillespie, Lascelles, Vlachodimos, Krafth, Targett

Newcastle United also revealing on Friday that they are in talks with both Wilson and Ruddy for new short-term deals. Though it is important to point out that the retention of the likes of Gillespie and Ruddy appears most definitely not in terms of being seen as potentially playing in the first team. More a case of what they do behind the scenes, whilst they and/or others (including possibly one or more low key new signings!) will also potentially help with the complicated criteria of what is needed when it comes to having a strongest possible Champions League squad for NUFC this coming season.

My predicted potential lists of players above, assumes Longstaff will leave. Whilst I think also we will see other departures, permanent or on loan, such as Targett, one or two goalkeepers and so on.

Harrison Ashby has done ok at QPR (29 appearances) this past season so Eddie Howe will be having a look at him, a bit of a make or break time for the 23 year old to see if he can be part of the NUFC squad. Whilst we also wait with interest to see of any younger players can make a breakthrough into the first team squad. For example, Leo Shahar looks a great prospect and the teenage full-back has been training regularly with the first team for some time.

In terms of new signings, the ages of Trafford (22), Elanga (23) and Guehi (24) would all fit into the now established Newcastle United recruitment model of signing younger players who can progress further on the pitch AND increase in value off it.

So would these three first team Newcastle United signings (plus a couple of (probably even younger) new squad players also coming in) be enough to see NUFC able to compete on all fronts?