It’s vital that Howe gets the balance right, says Woody
NEWCASTLE United should adopt Liverpool’s “meticulous” transfer approach and prioritise signing dressing room leaders.
That is the view of former Magpies defender Jonathan Woodgate, who believes Eddie Howe’s side should target top-half players in the summer.
United were Europe’s biggest spenders in the January transfer window, with the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier arriving for a combined fee in excess of £90m. An unbeaten start to 2022 has helped ease relegation fears, although survival is still the immediate priority at St James’ Park.
The summer is expected to be another busy window on Tyneside, with the club’s owners pledging to invest to meet their ambitious vision of challenging for silverware this decade.
Woodgate has warned Howe needs to maintain the “balance” of his squad, and has urged his former club to follow the exhaustive approach which has proven a success on the red half of Merseyside.
He told Genting Casino: “You’ve got to have a balance in your squad of senior players, young players and players who are reaching their prime. You’ve got to do your homework when recruiting.
“You’ve got to know personalities. You’ve got to know family background, any problems that they may have had. You have to know everything. Liverpool are a great example of a club that gets recruitment right, they are meticulous. I had the pleasure of working there for eight months (as a scout) and learned a hell of a lot. I’m sure Eddie Howe will be the same.
“You have to be meticulous. You have to know the characters that you’re bringing into the building. If a player turns up, and he’s disruptive and he’s getting left out of the team, what’s his attitude going to be like? The next minute, you’ve got four players who have a clique and then it gets difficult. If you have senior professionals, the likes of Trippier, Dan Burn, Lascelles, who can then stitch a dressing room together, it’s always a positive.”
Newcastle managed to persuade Trippier to swap Champions League football and a starting spot with La Liga champions Atletico Madrid for a relegation fight in black and white. However, Woodgate has urged fans to temper their expectations over potential summer recruits.
He added: “I think they’ll sign players from teams that are between eighth and fifth in the league. I don’t see them getting Champions League players yet, I really don’t. I know they’ve got Trippier, but he wanted to come back to England.
“Leaving Atletico Madrid, you’re leaving Champions League football. To really get top players, they’ll need a couple of seasons and will need to develop as a club.”