Without three new defenders they’ll be going down
GIVEN they’ve not won a game yet and have tough fixtures to come, Newcastle United will probably be in and around the bottom three when the transfer window opens in January. The understandable sense of takeover euphoria that will be felt at St James’ Park today therefore has to be accompanied by realism among the fans.
Relegation would be disastrous and put the Saudi project back three years before they’d even got started.
This isn’t the time to expect an instant return to the heady days of Alan Shearer, David Ginola, or Philippe Albert chipping Peter Schmeichel. That is a considerable way off. Newcastle’s priority has to be becoming damned hard to beat for the rest of the season.
I’d say Newcastle require four new signings in the next window to guarantee safety. And three of those need to make them defensively better — with one additional glamour name to share the scoring burden with Callum Wilson.
They have the money to pay high wages so why not aim big in the loan market. Try to get Edinson Cavani in from Manchester United because he isn’t going to play at Old Trafford, or Alexandre Lacazette who is in the final year of his contract at Arsenal. Have a cheeky go for Timo Werner at Chelsea.
That type of player isn’t going to take the risk of joining permanently in case of relegation.
Amanda Staveley says she wants Newcastle to be champions in five to 10 years, but right now the aim has to be staying in the Premier League. Newcastle are in the relegation zone for a reason and those final fixtures of 2021 before the window opens are Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Everton.
Mike Ashley’s departure will bring a feelgood atmosphere to the city, which can only help. But they still need to recruit wisely.
Permanent signings will be hard in January but trying to bring in someone like Burnley’s James Tarkowski, a proven defensive leader and out of contract in the summer, ticks a lot of boxes and would make perfect sense.
I’ve watched a lot of Newcastle this season and, while they have made more chances, they have been woeful defensively.
If I was manager, I’d want to sign a centre-half, holding midfielder and full-back to make the team tough to break down. Once that is delivered, you’d add a goalscorer at the other end of the pitch where Wilson misses too many games. They have creators like Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron but not players who can convert the chances.
That’s why they have to be careful about going for stellar names like Philippe Coutinho on loan until they’ve prioritised in both penalty areas. Longer-term, there have been doubts whether top overseas players would want to head for the North-East. Some may not but I think they will be the exceptions rather than the rule.
It sounds cynical but most footballers will sacrifice location for financial gain and the new Newcastle owners will certainly be competitive in terms of wages.
I remember people saying similar things about Manchester City but Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Vincent Kompany not only went there, but stayed for many years.
If the project is good and the manager persuasive, I don’t think geography has too much bearing.
I’m sure most of the current Newcastle squad will be excited by events.
The top players such as SaintMaximin will want to be surrounded by better quality and most Premier League players have enough of an ego to think they will be good enough to stick around and win trophies.
Even those who fear their days are numbered will try to attract other Premier League suitors so the impact of the takeover should boost performances all-round.
Working for the right manager was always important to me.
I can see why Steve Bruce has been given today’s game against Spurs, he is an experienced pair of hands, but equally it looks certain he’ll be replaced at some point.
It’s not a bad thing for the owners to take their time to make the right choice.
My former team-mate Steven Gerrard has been mentioned among others and I can see why because he’s thrived at a pressurised club in Rangers. Handling big-name players wouldn’t faze him, given his own career.
I just wonder if the timing might not be right. He’ll feel an attachment to Rangers and think he could win more silverware at Ibrox. Additionally, being in at the start of a new project like Newcastle carries risks because teething problems are bound to arise.
The Newcastle project will take years to deliver. Would Stevie be jeopardising his chances of becoming Liverpool manager if he took it on?
Newcastle is a long-term build. In two years, with the right recruitment, I can see them in that group of top-eight clubs alongside Leicester, Spurs and Arsenal challenging for Europe.
But the top four — Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United — have built such a gap, even Saudi wealth would be hard-pressed getting Newcastle into the Champions League within five years.
Timing may not be right for Stevie G to take over at start of a new project