A year ago, Eddie Howe called for Newcastle United to act quickly in the transfer market.
Speaking after the final day game of the season during which Newcastle United secured Champions League football, Howe said: “Speed is key for us and I have reiterated that many times internally. Speed is key because we have to be dynamic, we have to be ready to conclude things very quickly because good players don’t hang around for long.”
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Now, he’s been forced to repeat himself again as the club look to avoid the mistakes that took them down the wrong path last summer.
Howe calls for Newcastle United to sign players quickly again
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Premier League game with West Ham, Howe said: “I think it has to be different. I was sat here this time last year saying the same thing.
“That we needed to move quickly, we needed to be dynamic. You will find that the best players won’t hang around for too long, who are available on the market.
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“The speed in which the transfer market moves now is very quick. Things are very efficient and we have to be there as one of those teams.”
The summer transfer window in 2025 was a dreadful one for Newcastle. Even before the Alexander Isak saga truly unfolded, they missed out on several key targets.
Newcastle didn’t sign their first player until Anthony Elanga, when he joined the club in mid-July.
That came after several high-profile rejections, which set the tone for what was largely a miserable few months for the club.
That just cannot happen again. The World Cup might complicate matters but Newcastle do not have the luxury of leaning on excuses given how badly last summer went.
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The good news is that Newcastle are set to change their transfer structure.
Reports suggest that Newcastle will no longer focus on the Premier League experience they leaned so heavily on last summer.
That feels like a progressive step, but it doesn’t mean much for the speed with which the club operate.
That is the key issue, among many. Far too often, the club appear to bury their heads in the sand, with progress at executive level often moving at glacial speed.
To ignore Howe’s words again would be a major mistake. The Newcastle United manager might not fully convince in the dugout, but it’s hard to argue with what he’s saying here.
A lack of decisive action could prove costly.
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