Newcastle United signings – Quality not quantity

There are just 26 days left until Newcastle United sign him.

This summer 2024 window will close at 11pm on Friday 30th August.

Only then can we fully judge how successful, or not, this close season has been for NUFC.

Odysseas Vlachodimos, John Ruddy, Lloyd Kelly and Lewis Hall are Newcastle United’s four permanent signings so far.

Meanwhile, of course, Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh have left St James’ Park.

For me it’s all about quality, not quantity, from now on, unless you’re talking about younger, more inexperienced players like Will Osula, who looks set to break into the squad for £10m (plus £5m in potential add-ons) for the new season and hopefully be a first-team contender in the future.

Which brings us to the many conversations from other Newcastle United fans who feel that we are in some kind of crisis situation and that if a few more Newcastle United signings aren’t made in the next 26 days, it will be an invitation to disaster.

To me, it’s like these last two and a half years never happened when I hear these conversations.

Nick Pope is class, while I think we all expect Livramento and Hall to be our first-choice full-backs for many years to come, with Tino possibly competing with Kieran Trippier for another season. Surely no one seriously thinks we should be spending big money on those three positions?

Lloyd Kelly has been added as a left-sided central defensive option, to compete with Dan Burn and Sven Botman (when fully fit), both Burn and Kelly can also play at left-back.

Fabian Schar was undoubtedly Newcastle’s player of the season last season and stood out for Switzerland at the Euros.

Then further up the pitch I think of some very exciting moments with Bruno, Joelinton, Tonali, Gordon and Isak, that quintet is of absolute top quality. Then we also have Almiron, Barnes, Murphy, Longstaff and so on.

It seems pretty clear and obvious that Newcastle United are now looking to sign a new first-choice right winger, who can also play through the middle, ideally. Also, as a right centre-back, someone to compete and even play in front of Schar!

The idea that we’re desperate for huge, expensive signings at any other position is a bit crazy.

If money was no object and we were in the Champions League, maybe, but you have to live in the real world, so having extremely expensive players sitting on the bench regularly is not what can happen.