Newcastle United reality now sweeps away vacuum filled by nonsense | OneFootball

I think something all Newcastle United fans can agree on, is this.

It has been tortuous six weeks or so since the 2024/25 season ended.

A nightmare for those Newcastle United fans who have seen every day as a disaster where a major new signing hasn’t happened.

A nightmare for the rest of the Newcastle United fans enduring how these other NUFC supporters have been going on.

This is the trouble when there is no matches getting played, that vacuum filled by nonsense, from a very vocal minority.

For anybody unaware, when listening to these Newcastle United fans, you would never have imagined for one minute that this is a club that has just won a trophy (first in 56 years) and qualified for the Champions League a second time in three seasons. A club that has a brilliant manager, who is still here, plus a real quality group of players, none of the key players having left and no evidence whatsoever that any of them would want to leave.

The summer transfer window opening far earlier than normal, done solely to help clubs involved in the FIFA Club World Cup, didn’t help at all.

The fact that Newcastle United have only ever bought one new player (Nick Pope) in any summer transfer window before we reach July, made no difference to those going on like it was the end of the world that no major signings arrived in June 2025, only teenage winger Antonito from Malaga as he was becoming a free agent.

What was even more bizarre from this vocal minority of Newcastle United fans, was the ever increasing hysteria and belief that nothing was happening within the club, certainly nothing dynamic. That there was no urgency to sign players, with many predictions of disaster upcoming next season, especially with Paul Mitchell leaving and no replacement as yet.

Even the fact that Newcastle United had made bids in total of some £135m for James Trafford, Anthony Elanga and Joao Pedro, was overwhelmingly dismissed or ignored by those determined to see negativity. The fact these bids weren’t instantly accepted, then seemingly making the bids having also been a negative, in the eyes of those wanting to see only disaster ahead. Rather than accepting these were the starting points to try and eventually get transfer targets in.

These people choosing to believe that Newcastle United was a club that had descended into chaos behind the scenes.

This past week has presented a slightly different story.

Almost as though those within Newcastle United might have a clue about what they are doing, that disaster isn’t all but inevitable on and off the pitch.

This isn’t to claim that everything is great, perfection has been reached, nothing could improve on what is there now at Newcastle United. Far from it.

However, this past week has reminded us all, or at least it should have done, that there is a brilliant starting point at the club after last season and ahead of this new one, with preparations smoothly behind the scenes at the training ground, with Anthony Elanga just the first of a number of quality signings to be made this summer.

Eddie Howe is a workaholic and for sure will have been putting in intense planning ahead of the players returning this past week and next (international players).

Joao Pedro chose Chelsea ahead of Newcastle after both bid for the striker, United continue to negotiate with Burnley to try and reach a compromise on James Trafford, whilst length negotiations with Forest on Anthony Elanga proved successful in the end.

Anthony Elanga watched on yesterday, as Newcastle beat Carlisle in a behind closed doors friendly.

Eddie Howe played a totally different team in each half, the 22 players from the first team, the first team squad and Under 21s.

Newcastle United (first half): Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Jamaal Lascelles, William Osula, Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Alex Murphy, Lewis Miley, Trevan Sanusi, Leo Shahar, Sean Neave

Newcastle United (second half): John Ruddy, Sven Botman, Fabian Schär, Joelinton, Harvey Barnes, Matt Targett, Jacob Murphy, Joe White, Harrison Ashby, Ben Parkinson, Travis Hernes

Joelinton Sean Longstaff, Ben Parkinson and Jacob Murphy getting the goals on Saturday.

Even more important, brilliant to see the likes of Joelinton, Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles all available after their injury issues.

With international players set to return this coming week to ramp up pre-season preparations, Anthony Elanga now added, Lewis Hall not available yet but reported to be on course to be available for the start of next season,

Still a lot of work to be done, on and off the pitch, to ensure Newcastle United are ready to kick off 2025/26 in the best possible shape. However, I think United are very much on course to do so AND I expect at least two other first team options will be signed in the very near future.

A team and squad (and manager) who won a trophy and finished top five last season, now Newcastle United with every chance in my opinion, of improving on this in the 2025/26 season.

In Eddie Howe we trust.

The six announced public Newcastle United friendlies announced so far:

Saturday 19 July – Celtic v Newcastle

Sunday 27 July – Arsenal v Newcastle (In Singapore)

Wednesday 30 July – Team K-League all stars v Newcastle (In South Korea)

Sunday 3 August – Tottenham v Newcastle (In South Korea)

Friday 8 August – Newcastle v Espanyol (St James’ Park)

Saturday 9 August – Newcastle v Atletico Madrid (St James’ Park)