Eddie working out Howe to reshape his Magpies squad
KEY SIGNINGS IS FOCUS, NOT MEGA DEALS
EDDIE Howe is eager to bring in a clutch of key signings this summer rather than blow his transfer pot on one or two mega deals.
However, work on trimming the squad will take place almost immediately after Newcastle’s final game of the season at Burnley on Sunday where some players may make a farewell appearance.
Howe will then head off for a short family break at the end of the month but knows that patience will be the watchword in the weeks to come.
The aim internally is to improve the squad in every department but do it in a gradual manner. A good number of the current squad will get their chance to remain part of the exciting Newcastle project.
The season may be finishing but Howe is facing a hectic chapter in his stint as boss.
Howe was dealt a pre-season blow when organisers of the Ohio Cup pulled the plug on a pre-season tournament in the States which was set to feature United, Valencia, Villarreal and Wolves. Club officials remain locked in talks on providing an alternative pre-season training camp overseas.
Wolves have attempted to resurrect their Stateside tour but are finding it difficult to find opponents with the MLS season in full swing.
And that could essentially be Newcastle’s problem as they search for teams to play with many sides already fixed up for the summer.
Yet fans will be keen to see how things work in the recruitment stakes with chief scout Steve Nickson finalising his shortlist for Howe ahead of the opening of the window on June 10.
The club have been in discussions with Matt Targett about making his loan deal a permanent one but know that there are teams closer to his home in the South
West that are also keen. Targett is set to quit Aston Villa as he does not feel he has a future under Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard told him to fight for his place after signing Lucas Digne last January but at 26, Targett felt he was entitled to pursue regular first-team action.
Howe will have to make a decision at left-back having handed Paul Dummett a one-year deal to be part of the squad next term, while Jamal Lewis is also still very much on the books.
The Toon head coach has three or four players listed in every position this summer and will look to make improvements right across the board. The subject of how much Newcastle will have to spend was doing the rounds again yesterday.
But no sensible football club are going to disclose their summer funds.
Newcastle are bound by financial fair play rules but there is still plenty of backing from the top.
It is expected that Newcastle will make four or five cash buys this summer with the loan market and out-of-contract market also set to be looked at.
Howe used to like to get business done early at AFC Bournemouth but with agents and clubs assuming Newcastle have an endless pot of money, a more strategic approach may be needed.
Howe will lean on his own relationships with agents and teams, and with seven or eight players likely to be surplus to requirements he will be able to trade in some cases.
The main aim for next season will be to avoid another tussle with relegation, while Howe is keen to have a crack at both domestic cup competitions.
Regardless of what happens next, the summer is expected to be one of the most exciting periods for years, and the fact the box office is inundated with calls on season tickets tells its own story.
Newcastle are bound by financial fair play rules but there is still plenty of backing from the top
Lee Ryder