Previous signings offer clue to when deals will be done
TOON USUALLY SLOW OFF MARK
NEWCASTLE United have already made one signing this summer – brokering a deal to clinch the signing of Christian Atsu from Chelsea after his season-long loan move.
However, there have been no new signings yet, in spite of indications from Rafa Benitez he wants to bring new arrivals in as soon as possible ahead of the Premier League campaign.
United are looking to clinch a deal for Florian Lejeune of Eibar and still hope to strike a deal for Tammy Abraham, the Chelsea striker who is on duty with England Under-21s at the European Championships in Poland.
With Everton and Manchester City making big waves in the transfer market, it feels like it could be a potentially transformative summer for clubs in the top flight.
Yet a look through United’s recent past in the Mike Ashley era offers a few clues about when they usually do business.
They have only signed players in June three times in the Ashley era and, last season under Benitez, their first deal was clinched on June 29 as they signed goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Brisk business was also completed when Yohan Cabaye – whose deal had been lined up long before it was confirmed on June 10 – and Ayoze Perez signed for Newcastle.
By contrast, they had to wait until July 22 for their first signing the last time they bounced back into the Premier League.
United had issued a confusing statement pledging “no capital outlay” as they returned to the top flight but they did sign players that summer. Dan Gosling’s move was the first – he was injured at the time – but they signed Cheick Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa later in the summer.
Here are the first deals United have made in the last eight seasons.
A look through United’s recent past in the Mike Ashley era offers a few clues about when they usually do business
2008: Jonas Gutierrez – July 2 Kevin Keegan’s first close season after returning to the club was a fractious one. His transfer targets were very different from the ones Newcastle ended up landing – but he appreciated the deal which saw Jonas Gutierrez join from Mallorca.
2009: Danny Simpson – August 14 UNITED had been relegated and Chris Hughton was left to steady the ship. The Newcastle board resisted the temptation for a fire sale – they kept Fabricio Coloccini, Gutierrez, Kevin Nolan, Alan Smith and Jose Enrique – but there was little recruitment for the Championship season. Danny Simpson’s arrival from Manchester United in August came with Hughton still officially the caretaker boss.
2010: Dan Gosling - July 22 A move for the Everton man came with confusion over whether Newcastle would sign anyone to freshen up the squad for the Premier League. They did – Ben Arfa and Cheick Tiote arrived to add real quality to the squad – but Gosling was actually the first deal negotiated. Newcastle had hoped he would return from a serious injury sooner but he only played once in that season.
2011: Yohan Cabaye – June 10 NEWCASTLE had money to spend after Andy Carroll’s controversial
move in January and had lined up a move for Lille midfielder Cabaye long before the window opened. Quick business that summer also saw Sylvain Marveaux and Demba Ba recruited as Newcastle under Alan Pardew finished fifth. ■■2012: Gael Bigirimana – July 6 NEWCASTLE had a chance to kick on but missed it. Their only major signing of the summer was Vurnon Anita but, again, they attempted to bring in “one for the future” in Gael Bigirimana. The Coventry midfielder made a bright start and even scored in the Premier League - but he could not maintain that spark. ■■2013: Loic Remy – August 5 UNITED had survived a brush with relegation and this was another fractious summer at St James’ Park. Newcastle had spent the summer budget in January to keep them in the division so there was never much prospect of major recruitment.
Joe Kinnear had arrived as director of football in a controversial move which saw Derek Llambias quit - but it was never really clear what he offered the club.
When Remy signed on loan from QPR – he had been lined up to sign for Newcastle in the previous January – Pardew paid tribute to Kinnear’s deal-making skills - but Kinnear departed that January. ■■2014: Ayoze Perez – June 5 NEWCASTLE had gone almost 18 months without signing a player permanently so, when Perez arrived from Tenerife, it was heralded on the front page of the Chronicle. He was not a big name but he did force his way into the first team. Newcastle did plenty of business that summer – adding Siem de Jong, Daryl Janmaat and Jack Colback. ■■2015: Georginio Wijnaldum – July 11 IT was starting to become a bit fraught by the middle of July but this was a summer of change at Newcastle. Steve McClaren was the new manager but most of the deals had been negotiated long before his arrival – and Wijnaldum was a big one.
United’s biggest deal since Michael Owen, it kick-started a recruitment drive which saw United spend big that summer - but they did not spend well or balance the squad and were relegated. ■■2016: Matz Sels – June 29 RAFA Benitez wanted deals done early, and plenty of them but it was relatively late before his first breakthrough – the addition of Sels. The really important business was done over three weeks in July when Dwight Gayle and Matt Ritchie arrived.