How Newcastle plan to ‘attack’ transfers

Optimism is back at Newcastle United.

That was the key takeaway from Darren Eales’ pre-season briefing, held in Herzogenaurach, Germany, where the Magpies are based for a training camp at Adidas headquarters.

After a dismal January, the shameful loss of Dan Ashworth and a delicate June treading the Financial Fair Play (FFP) boundaries, Newcastle have some financial freedom again and possibility once again seems to be the watchword on Tyneside.

Here’s what we learned from Eales’ half-hour session with journalists.

In the corridors of power, they believe a “great season” is on the horizon for Newcastle

It wasn’t just once or twice. Eales repeated the point several times. This, he said, is a “big year” for Newcastle.

It was a marked contrast to the tone of his January speech when he made the admission – perhaps with the club’s fragile Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) position in mind – that they would have to engage in player negotiations to remain compliant with FFP regulations. Some felt the negativity cast a shadow over the club, placing an imaginary ‘for sale’ sign over their star men.

As it turned out, none of their big names were leaving and Eales stressed that Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Joelinton would all be Newcastle players come the start of the season. With new signings coming in and the purse strings loosened, confidence seems high.

“We are really excited about the season ahead,” he said.

“There is the disappointment of not reaching Europe, but the fact is that we have the advantage of going from Saturday to Saturday and not having the distractions of European football. We saw that last season when we had that incredible year and qualified for the Champions League.

“We have the nucleus of a great team, a new cycle of PSR, and with Paul Mitchell coming in as sporting director, we hope to strengthen the team where we can, by being smart and innovative about it.”

The flip side of that is that expectations will rise. European qualification seems a minimum, but Eales also said the club would “attack” both cup competitions while leaning towards a return to the Champions League. After the reality check of January, there is a different feel to things at St James’ Park.

A new era in recruitment – ​​with PSR concerns significantly reduced

Eales was careful not to say the gloves are off in terms of recruitment. Newcastle will not deviate from their previous approach to transfers: experienced superstars are unlikely to turn up at St James’ Park any time soon. Isak and Guimaraes remain the template.

But financial constraints have eased considerably – the £70m loss from the first year post-acquisition has been written off – and that means what Eales has almost called a “new era” when it comes to recruitment.

It is understood there are “exciting” targets being monitored, with an international striker among those being considered for a dynamic and versatile forward role to complement the lethal Isak.

I asked Eales whether Mitchell’s appointment was intended to improve Newcastle’s success rate when it comes to recruitment. It’s clear he was appointed with a mandate to make the most of Newcastle’s new-found flexibility in the market.

“In Newcastle we will also be using as much space as possible,” Eales said.

“There’s never any doubt, there’s never any question that we won’t put the resources in. So it’s: how do you maximise those resources? What that means is every decision has an impact and that’s everything from ‘can you loan a player who’s on the fringes and get a return on that?’

“It helps you have more gunpowder in the barrel to put the team on the field to defend Eddie.

“What I’m excited about is that these two (Howe and Mitchell) will work together to maximize the availability of resources for Eddie in the field.

“We know what an incredible coach Eddie is and what he can do for these players when he gets them.

“We’ve seen him with a player like Anthony Gordon, watching him, seeing how he’s improved in his 18 months at the club. It’s going to be a great partnership.”

No points deductions at St James’ Park as Eales highlight PSR positives

After the haze of confusion a fortnight ago, Eales has made one thing clear: Newcastle’s business in the final days of June means they will be in compliance with the PSR. That means no points deductions and a platform to “attack” the season.

It seemed unseemly, however, especially when reports emerged of talks with Liverpool over Gordon last month. “Noise” was how Eales categorised some of the speculation while playing down talk of the England international being “troubled”.

Gordon’s “motivation and professionalism” will ensure he remains focused, according to the CEO. He predicted a player returning from Euro 2024 with a “chip on his shoulder” after barely playing in Germany and that Gordon would go on to the next level next season.

The mad rush wasn’t as crazy as it seemed, either, he insisted.

“We see that with the traditional transfer deadline, people’s minds don’t really focus until they get to that point,” Eales said.

“Sometimes it takes time for the market to react. We have said that our goal is always to be compliant and the good news is that we are, entering the next cycle.

“If you look at a basic level, we lost over £70m in the previous two cycles and that meant we needed to hit the target which we did.

“The good news is that £70m now falls at the start of the new cycle, so we have a chance to know what our available space is.

“We still have to be smart; we can’t just spend whatever we want, every penny we spend matters because it’s money we can’t spend elsewhere. But I think we’re in a good position to deal with it going forward and it’s a new season.

“With England out (of the Euros) we can now focus on the new season and it’s that exciting time where everyone has hope.”

Perhaps of greater significance was his confident assertion that Isak, Guimaraes, Gordon and Joelinton will all stay at Newcastle this summer. That is a very good core to build on.

Newcastle project supreme confidence in Eddie Howe’s future

Eales did not go into detail about Howe’s contract – other than it being “multi-year” – but was optimistic about Newcastle’s position if the Football Association came knocking.

It would require “a lot” of compensation and for the manager to be unequivocal in his desire to leave Newcastle.

None of those things are expected at Newcastle, partly because of Howe’s obvious commitment to the project he has signed up to, but also because – as Eales has emphasised on a few occasions – he is a man who does his best work on the training ground, working out the details and overseeing “two-a-days” (double pre-season training sessions).

It’s a fair point. Would the detail man really swap what he earns at Newcastle for what he would earn in England? Those who know him say he would struggle without the daily contact and Eales’ warm words about him being the man for the long haul suggest last season’s difficult campaign hasn’t changed his faith in him.

With money to spend, the core of the squad remaining and a new PSR cycle, it would be a huge surprise if he left.

There are still no answers about the stadium expansion

Regardless of the squad, the signings or the manager, it is the future of St James’ Park that remains the most important decision the ownership group must make before the end of the year. In terms of legacy, there is no higher calling and that will tell us a lot about the scope and scale of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund’s plans for Newcastle. Are they happy to tread water with a stopgap expansion plan – or will they sign a blank cheque to do something much bigger?

Frustratingly, we are no closer to a final call or those answers. Eales revealed that the final part of the long-awaited feasibility study is – finally – “imminent”. Discussions have been held, scenarios have been created by the board, but the public line – at least – is that they are still carrying out “due diligence”.

“That report will come in, it will be forwarded to the owners and we will also speak to the fan advisory board when we get the final report,” he said.

“Then we’ll see what our next steps will be.”

Staveley and Ghodoussi leave ‘mutual’ as PIF commitment reaffirmed

Boardroom intrigue dominated discussions last week but Eales paid warm tribute to Staveley and Ghodoussi, repeating once again that it was a “mutual” call for them to sell and move on.

“This was a joint ownership decision, a mutual decision,” he said.

“I think business opportunities for Amanda and Mehrdad are moving forward in terms of pursuing other business ventures, which I’m excited to see because they’re very motivated. They’re a force of nature, so I’m excited to see what they do next.”

He then deftly sidestepped a question about whether the PIF – whose shareholding has increased following Staveley’s departure – would now be more visible.

They are rarely heard from and chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan’s visits to St James’ Park are few and far between. While Staveley and Ghodoussi have attended every home game, a public face was being introduced to the fans, but it seems unlikely that a new figurehead will emerge.

“As far as the PIF and Jamie Reuben are concerned, on behalf of the Reuben family, they are committed,” Eales said.

“This is an ownership group that has a large portfolio of companies. In one sense, on an investment scale, it’s probably one of the smaller ones, but in terms of profile and interest, it’s one of the larger ones.

“We can see that from what we’re trying to do at the club in terms of the journey they’re on and they’re fully committed. We’re excited.

“I spoke about the end of the cycle with PSR and this is a big year for us now as we continue on that journey to become a club that competes for trophies and is in Europe every season.

“That has to be our goal from now on.”