Why it's time for calm despite Newcastle's slow start to the summer transfer window

Newcastle United are entering a season in which they will be playing Champions League football. The mood should be buzzing and there should be excitement about the campaign to come. That remains the dominant mood, but there is some negativity creeping into the fan base (especially online) about the transfer business completed so far – or rather lack of it.

Due to the 24-hour news cycle and countless rumours regarding us, it can be a difficult time for supporters during the summer. Expectations get raised about the number of players that are going to be signed by the club, before the hopes get dashed. It is even worse when a rival Premier League club signs one of the players we have been linked with. This often leads to fume on social media, with some criticising the club for missing out.

It is worth remembering that we are only going to sign 1-2% of the players we are linked with. A lot of what is written online is based on information from agents and selling clubs. It is generally commented on by the media that the club rarely leak information about current transfer activity. As a result, the reporting will be less accurate than it is with other clubs. Anything the club puts out will be deliberate.

There needs to be an element of calm when it comes to the transfer market. Recruitment and trading are important in the development of a football club, but it is only one part. The club that ‘wins’ the transfer window is rarely the club that does best in a season. Too many signings can be detrimental to a club. That was evident with Chelsea last season.

The Premier League is so advanced tactically now that it is harder for players to settle immediately. We have seen that with our signings since the takeover. They are often eased in and it can take a number of months for them to fully settle in our system.

In addition to recruitment, there are a number of other important areas to focus on for a club pushing on. The commercial revenue needs to increase; the academy needs to produce more talent; training sessions need to be a higher standard and the facilities need to be upgraded. In each of these four areas, we have made huge progress under the new ownership.

This summer, one of the most exciting developments has been the overhaul of the academy recruitment. We have employed lots of new coaches, scouts and analysts from across the country. Those that are more clued in to academy football say it is a major statement of intent from the club. The benefits of this won’t be seen this season, or next, but in the long-term, we should see huge improvements in the output of our academy.

This has been one of the big weaknesses of the club, due to the lack of investment from Mike Ashley. We weren’t even a Category 1 academy for a period and that is problematic for a Premier League club. Chelsea and Aston Villa have both shown the benefits of having a thriving academy. The opportunity to sell players for pure profit in FFP terms can make it easier to strengthen the first team in the transfer market. Some players will be good enough to step into the first team and save the club millions.

It is easy to invest millions into the first team in the short term. The changes made to the academy and the facilities show a long-term investment from the owners. This isn’t a plan to get us success in the short term, rather they want to put things in place to secure our position at the top of European football for many years to come.

The consequences of having a long-term plan mean that there will be growing pains in the short term. It is impossible to continue improving on the pitch, without the improvements behind the scenes. The latter take longer than the former, which is why FFP is proving to be a big issue this summer.

The investments being made in the Saudi league are concerning some. Many of our Premier League rivals are receiving good fees for fringe players. It isn’t ideal, but the sums being spent in Saudi Arabia show the ambition of the PIF. If they were able to do the same in the Premier League, they would.

No ownership is perfect and ours will make errors along the way. There might be some regret that they have become vulnerable to FFP so quickly, but that has happened due to the ambition they showed in previous windows. Premier League betting odds say we're more likely to finish in the top four this coming season than Chelsea and Spurs. That shows how far we've come.

It is also only July. In an ideal world, every coach would want their transfer business conducted early, but it is difficult to do so. Players may want a break and time to decide on their next move. Selling clubs want to extract maximum value and get their own targets lined up before agreeing to a sale. A buying club might not be convinced on a deal immediately and want to investigate what else could be available. They may also need to move players and wages off the books before signing a new player.

The time to judge the transfer window comes when it closes. If at the end of the window, the club have only signed Sandro Tonali, criticism will be warranted. It will have similarities to the 2012 window that saw just Vurnon Anita arrive. However, I struggle to think that will be the case. The club and Eddie Howe will know what they need. They may not get everything, but I’m sure they will get most of what they have set out to.