Eddie Howe now starts to shape his 2024/25 Newcastle United first team squad | OneFootball

It is now eleven 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 with a round of Premier League games on the weekend of Saturday 17 August.

We are only nearing two weeks since the 2023/24 season ended.

However, time is of the essence, as Eddie Howe will be 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.

Yesterday we saw, as expected, the likes of Karius, Ritchie, Dummett and Hendrick all announced as players not getting their contracts extended.

Which then means we are currently left with these 26 potential candidates for the official 25 man senior Newcastle United Premier League squad, which will need to be named at the end of the summer transfer window.

Goalkeepers:

Nick Pope, Martin Dubravka, Mark Gillespie

Full-backs:

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

Central defenders:

Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles

Midfielders:

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

Attacking midfielders / Wingers:

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

Strikers:

Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak

In addition to the senior 25 man NUFC squad, these are amongst the available players still rated as under 21s:

Lewis Hall, Lewis Miley, Alex Murphy, Yankuba Minteh

Out of those 26 senior players listed, we know for sure that Fraser and Hayden won’t be part of the 2024/25 Newcastle United first team squad, so we are already dipping down under the 25 man limit in the senior squad.

You also then have Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles, neither of who will be available at the start of the season as they come back from serious injury. Every chance that one or indeed both of them may not be back this calendar year, meaning potentially another one or two spaces available in the senior squad, at least in the first half of the season.

This is all before we come to players who Eddie Howe may choose to trade to help bring in others, or maybe say in Ashby’s case, whether another loan deal may be considered.

What is clear though is that Newcastle United have now moved a considerable distance in getting away from a squad that was largely populated by players that in an ideal world, Eddie Howe didn’t want. Players who in the vast majority of cases were impossible to find new permanent clubs for.

The availability of under 21 players such as Hall, Miley, Murphy and Minteh can take so much pressure off Eddie Howe, with these on hand to add to his senior options, if he chooses to.

I think we are in for a big summer transfer window.

It looks certain that one, probably two, central defenders will be signed. A new younger addition has been needed for some time, with the likes of Schar, Lascelles and Burn in their 30s now, the significant injuries to Lascelles and Botman only rubber stamping that a new face or two will be added.

A new number two keeper to challenge and back up Nick Pope is surely also all but guaranteed, with Nick Dubravka a great servant but surely moving on now.

Moving further up the pitch in midfield and attacking areas is where it gets interesting.

This is where the big ‘churn’ is expected, existing first team players getting moved on to help give the headroom and help pay for Eddie Howe’s targets.

Nobody knows for sure what is going to happen here, you pay your money and make your choices.

Interesting to see your suggestions and predictions in the comments below.

Of course , always important to remember, you need to get an offer before you can sell any player. Whilst you have to also be realistic when it comes to what transfer fees your unwanted players can generate AND how much those players are going to cost that you are going to try and take off other clubs.