Newcastle United need to look at these alternative new signings – This is why | OneFootball

As far as we can be aware, Newcastle United have thus far only made bids to sign three players so far this window: James Trafford, Anthony Elanga and Joao Pedro, with Sky Sports and others reporting that the NUFC bids totalled a combined £120m were all rejected.

The consensus appears to be that this breaks down to £45m offered for Elanga, £50m on Pedro, and around £25m Trafford. Some journalists also claiming that personal terms have been agreed with the Burnley keeper.

If you go by the claimed reported valuations these clubs hold for their players, it would take Newcastle at least £150m to sign all three men, with Eddie Howe eager to have signings in before the beginning of pre-season.

Opinion split amongst Newcastle United fans, with some frustrated we won’t just pay up whatever it takes, some worried we will be held to ransom, others patiently awaiting a deal being struck.

Given United’s lack of activity in recent windows, there is an undeniable level of built up frustration and anxiety, with fans desperate to see some new faces at the club. In my opinion, we appear to be going about it the complete wrong way.

For a hefty £150m across three players, none of them offer a certain and immediate improvement to our current starting 11.

It is unclear as to whether Trafford is intended to replace Pope, or to act as his understudy for the time being, and given our abundance of goalkeepers it would be certainly unwise to invest in anything other than a guaranteed new number one.

Joao Pedro is even more of a confusing case, as he is certainly not going to start ahead of a fully fit Isak, nor Gordon or Murphy if played out of position on either flank. Given earlier reports that Pedro had no intention of moving to a club where he would not start, it makes the deal, and the status of Isak, look even more questionable.

As for Elanga, who in my opinion is the most talented of the three, Forest are in a position where they have no desire or need to sell him, and any level of fee that they’d accept would surely be a foolish one to pay.

Given what happened the last time we had Champions League football, and considering the significant lack of changes made to our squad since then, we should be incredibly cautious to spend all of our money on a select number of signings, none of whom look certain to be starters, when our squad is way too thin for the season ahead. We have an ageing squad, including only one centre back under the age of 30, and a limited amount of money to spend to plug those gaps.

Premier League clubs already charge a premium to other Premier League clubs, let alone us.

Whilst in my opinion, the PSR rules are maintained specifically because of the power Newcastle United would wield if those rules were not in place. Even if clubs didn’t charge us a premium inflated fee for their players, we would surely much rather avoid financially benefitting our competitors in the league if possible, given the fragile nature of the current PSR system.

Given the success Eddie Howe and the owners have had shopping abroad, particularly with Isak, Bruno, Botman and Tonali, it is somewhat bewildering to see that we still appear so adamant that Premier League experience is vital.

Although they may not be the exact type of profile the club is looking for, and their wages may be an issue, the apparent fees required to sign talents such as Xavi Simons and Lucas Chevalier from abroad are far more favourable than those we are apparently willing to pay for the likes of Pedro, Elanga and Trafford. Foreign clubs have far less reason to care whether we are successful or not, and foreign players often hold a lifelong dream of playing Premier League football, especially for a Champions League club.

The window is far from over and perhaps the current wave of rejected bids may lead the club to take a U-turn and rethink their strategy. However, it looks as though our first active window in a decent while is going to be spent paying inflated fees for players who are far from certain to make an immediate impact, and aren’t enough to boost our heavily depleted squad as we once again enter European football.

I have little reason to distrust the club in any way given recent successes on the pitch, and my faith in Eddie Howe is immeasurable, but given the sporting director merry go round of recent seasons, last season’s PSR nightmare and the abrupt disappearance of the highly influential Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, it’s hard not to wonder if we have lost our ability to be so astute in the admittedly difficult modern transfer market.