What fans want to believe Eddie Howe said on Newcastle United signings vs what he did actually say | OneFootball

It is no surprise that the current big talking point for fans is Newcastle United signings.

Or rather, the lack of them.

Until the first team contenders come in, the Newcastle United signings that will improve the starting eleven, nobody will be sitting comfortably.

However, at the same time, you also have to keep a grip on reality, as we all wait to see what will happen this summer.

I was interested to read something on The Mag comments the other day, which kind of brings the whole debate into focus.

One comment that stood out to me, when Newcastle United signings were being discussed by fans on The Mag, the fact that no first team ones signed as yet this month:

“Eddie Howe has publicly came out and said we need everything [Newcastle United signings] done early. It has been a shambles for the last few windows, other clubs doing business and getting ahead of us.”

This is a reference to what Eddie Howe said after the final match of the season, when United had lost to Everton but had confirmation of qualification for the Champions League.

Eddie Howe met the Newcastle United owners after that match on the final day and ahead of that meeting with his bosses, the NUFC Head Coach said quite a bit about the upcoming summer trading.

This is what he actually said…

Eddie Howe speaking at his post-match Everton press conference, before heading into a meeting with Newcastle United Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and the rest of the NUFC board of directors – Sunday 25 May 2025:

“As far as I’m aware, we do not have any PSR issues heading into this deadline.

“Now, I have to put a caveat in there, because I’m not seeing the figures, I’m only relaying what I’m getting told. But I think we are in a lot healthier position and a lot stronger position than we were at this time last year.

“We are looking to reverse what we did last summer.

“This time, we are in a strong position ourselves where we’ll be looking to make additions to the squad.

“I will have a discussion with the chairman and representatives from PIF today and I’m looking forward to that.

“We will be trying to lay some foundations for what lies ahead in the summer.

“In terms of timings and everything that follows that, I don’t know, but the planning and all the things that go on behind the scenes have been there for a number of weeks now.

“We have been working hard to try to set things up for what we need to do.

“I think whenever I speak to the chairman, he is very focused on success.

“He is focused on achieving and winning, and he always leaves me in no doubt that that’s what he wants, I’m working towards that.”

“Speed is key for us and I have reiterated that many times internally.

“Speed is key because we have to be dynamic.

“We have to be ready to conclude things very quickly because good players don’t hang around for long.”

The comment from the fan that I mentioned above, stated…”Eddie Howe has publicly came out and said we need everything [Newcastle United signings] done early.”

This isn’t though what Eddie Howe said.

The Head Coach spoke about ‘speed’ and ‘quickly’ but he didn’t mention ‘early’ at all.

For many fans (and of course encouraged to think this by journalists), what the NUFC boss said four weeks ago has become a thing where they believe that Eddie Howe was saying Newcastle United signings had to happen ‘early’, which basically translates into if we don’t see new players arrive in June then it is a disaster and Eddie Howe has been massively let down.

This then interpreted by plenty of people as – Eddie Howe must be furious that no signings have been made so far.

I don’t agree with this at all.

None of us know what really is and isn’t happening inside the club.

So it is all a case of best guesses, making judgements on what people say, also bearing in mind what has happened in the past.

I have little doubt that Eddie Howe would have loved to have made some key signings already in these very early days of June. However, that isn’t the same thing as Eddie Howe angry/gutted due to no key signings made by this point.

My interpretation of what Eddie Howe had to say about ‘speed’ and ‘quickly’, is that he means Newcastle United have to be ‘ready to conclude things very quickly’ when a player becomes available.

The Newcastle United recruitment team will be in regular contact with countless clubs and players via agents. Agents are the key people now in terms of how deals are done and the hundreds of millions of pounds they ‘earn’ from business done by Premier League clubs.

If Eddie Howe is looking to bring in signings who will be good enough to get into this Newcastle United team, then rest assured that plenty of other clubs will be also interested in these players.

So the selling club is in a very strong position. If other clubs are after one of their best players, one of their biggest assets, what incentive is there to make any rash decision? The same with the players themselves.

What I think Eddie Howe means with ‘speed’, is that he wants Newcastle United to be ready to do a deal, if/when one of their targets becomes available. With all of their targets, NUFC will have a valuation on them, both in terms of transfer fee and wages.

So to me, this is what Eddie Howe wants and expects, that after many conversations via agents and having had the target player watched a lot of times, Newcastle United to be in ASAP with their offer of transfer fee and personal terms for the player, once that player(s) is ready to move.

In past transfer windows under Eddie Howe and these Newcastle United owners, when the club have had the freedom to spend ambitiously, then they have done so AND done so very well. Great players at (relatively) great transfer fees and wages that won’t cripple the club.

What that Newcastle United fan also said in his comment I quoted above, was…”It has been a shambles for the last few windows, other clubs doing business and getting ahead of us.”

It has been frustrating for sure, but unless you have been hiding under a rock, you will know exactly why the last three transfer windows Newcastle United haven’t brought in any new first team contenders. The essential (relatively) big spending on players was essential after we got rid of Mike Ashley. As Eddie Howe references, that big spending in the first couple of years after takeover (and with next to no players that could be sold to help balance that spending) meant that the last few windows the PSR position meant money couldn’t be spent on big signings and indeed two of most promising young players had to be sold. However, as Eddie Howe also explains, that PSR position has now been massively improved.

I haven’t a clue when Newcastle United signings will arrive this summer BUT I am absolute certain that these ambitious Newcastle United signings that we all crave WILL be made before this window closes.

Sometimes the best things are worth waiting for and I will wait until the end of the window before I judge how well things have gone, which will be based largely on what Eddie Howe has to say and his body language.