Eddie Howe set PIF a deadline at Newcastle United, they have officially failed to meet it

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Newcastle United returned to pre-season training on Monday ahead of a busy 2025/26 campaign which includes the return to the Champions League.

After a well-deserved rest, a good number of players are back to get up to speed ahead of the Magpies’ pre-season tour.

Newcastle United travel to Celtic before jetting off to Singapore and South Korea for their tour of Asia. Finally, Eddie Howe’s side will return to St James’ Park for a friendly against Espanyol, and an exciting Sela Cup clash against Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.

The Magpies’ pre-season opponents give them a big step up in competition compared to previous years. Games against Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur see Newcastle play against Premier League opposition in pre-season since the summer series ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Fans are looking forward to those games, but Howe will understandably be gutted that the deadline he set for the PIF has not been met; it could cause problems if nothing is done about it.

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Eddie Howe has no major new signings as Newcastle United return to pre-season training

The transfer window has been open for nearly a month, but there is still no word on any arrivals. Anthony Elanga to Newcastle is ‘close’ but also ‘complicated‘, leaving fans worried that the deal could collapse at any moment.

Elsewhere, James Trafford’s move to Newcastle has gone quiet, that is despite the fact that a local journalist said that the deal was nearing completion. The silence on those deals is leaving fans worried, but it should hopefully just be a case of ironing out some details before they are complete.

However, Howe will be disappointed with the lack of arrivals. It was revealed that Howe wanted at least one new signing at Newcastle upon their return to pre-season, something that he has not been given.

Antonio Cordero joined on a free transfer from Malaga, but the 18-year-old is set to be loaned out for his first season, so he may not even be seen at all.

PIF were told that business needs to be done quickly, but with Paul Mitchell’s arrival and a number of bids being rejected that has not been the case.

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Newcastle United need to have new signings before the Celtic clash

It is clear that Newcastle will be playing an interesting squad for that Celtic clash. Several players have been granted permission to return to training later than expected due to their international commitments, so the likes of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes may not be part of that starting XI.

With 12 days until the game, it is evident that Newcastle have to have new players on the pitch for that game. Whether it is Elanga, Trafford, or a player fans do not even know about, there has to be someone.

It has been nearly two years since the Magpies made a major signing for the first team, and fans are getting restless and expect to see new faces at the club sooner rather than later.

PIF missed Howe’s deadline of July 7 to sign someone; there will now surely be another deadline of July 19, the day of the Celtic game, to bring a new face in.

Newcastle have an extremely busy season ahead of them, and the current crop of players will struggle to match the demands of that schedule.