Newcastle's summer business - Short term setbacks and long term stars?
When the summer window slammed shut and the new season kicked off, the general consensus felt we'd spent well, investing in exciting talent for tomorrow and one or two stars of today. Perhaps a Premier League loan would be the perfect step next season, with UK bookies on FastPayoutCasino.org likely to release odds on his next move soon.
In this piece, we'll look back at the £130m+ spent now the dust has settled a few months into the 2023/24 season, starting with our most expensive buy in Sandro Tonali.
Sandro Tonali – £55m (AC Milan)
His debut was a dream, where he not only scored in that 5-1 win over Aston Villa but ran the show. It was a top class display in all departments. He received some criticism during the run of defeats that followed, but Eddie Howe has encouraged patience given he's a 23-year-old Italian settling into a new country, new league and new system.
However, he looks set for at least 12 months on the sidelines after becoming the centre of a gambling investigation. A huge blow for the player and club, but we'll have to hope he can get the help he needs, settle into the area during his time out and come back even stronger; both on and off the pitch.
Harvey Barnes – £40m (Leicester)
Like Tonali, he made an immediate impact on his league debut, delivering a goal and an assist from the bench as we dismantled Aston Villa. Since then, he's often been kept out of the side by the brilliant Anthony Gordon but won't play again this year following a freak toe injury sustained at Sheffield United.
Again, like Tonali, it's another big money signing who has been dealt a tough hand so soon after signing at St James' Park. The vast majority of our summer budget was spent on the pair, yet they'll be missing for large parts of their first season on Tyneside. A good player with a proven record at Premier League level, I just hope he overcomes this nasty injury and finds his rhythm; I just wonder when and where when Gordon looks at his best on the left.
Tino Livramento – £32m (Southampton)
Some questioned why we'd spend this much on a right-back when Kieran Trippier looks THE best on the planet in his position right now. I get that, but it feels like we've pounced on an opportunity we simply couldn't refuse. The 20-year-old is one of the most exciting young talents in the Premier League, appears to have recovered from his ACL injury very well and will be a readymade replacement for Trippier once the 33-year-old hangs up his boots.
Lewis Hall – Loan with obligation to buy for £28m (Chelsea)
'One for the future' at left-back surprised a few fans when some felt we needed an immediate upgrade on Dan Burn, yet the big man from Blyth continues to do a superb job in our back four. When the time comes to play a more attack-minded left-back, however, Hall will come into his own. He can drive with the ball, is assured in possession, can play in several positions and is another massive English talent that Chelsea fans were gutted to lose at the time. In a few years, I expect the £28m we'll pay this summer to look like a snip.
Yankuba Minteh – £6m (Feyenoord)
Last but certainly not least, as Minteh may well prove to be our signing of the season. It's early days for the Gambian, but his loan spell at Feyenoord has started superbly, where he's not only scoring goals and earning regular starts, but experiencing Champions League football for one of the biggest clubs in the Netherlands.
Based on the immediate impression he's made at Feyenoord, I'd put money on him being in Howe's first-team plans before long.
