Newcastle United fans have started to express their regrets over one of the club’s biggest transfer decisions this summer.
It’s been a dreary few months for Newcastle United, with all the hopes and celebrations when Champions League football was secured being replaced with anger and frustration.
Instead of pushing on and improving Eddie Howe’s squad ahead of a gruelling season, the Magpies have only gone backwards.
Newcastle have missed out on several top targets, like Bryan Mbeumo and James Trafford, with Manchester United-bound Benjamin Sesko the latest.
All the rejections coupled with Alexander Isak’s desire to join Liverpool appears to have damaged the club’s reputation in the eyes of top stars and Howe’s squad is threadbare ahead of competing in four competitions next term.
Midfield is looking especially light following the sale of Sean Longstaff to Leeds United and Joe Willock’s injury scare in the defeat to Team K League.
Newcastle are yet to sign a midfielder since the sale of Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest for PSR reasons, leaving them low on numbers.
Although it seemed like a smart deal at the time, fans are now questioning whether the club should have sold Longstaff, especially if a replacement wasn’t lined up.
- Who is Sean Longstaff? The homegrown Carabao Cup winner who departed Newcastle United
Newcastle United don’t think Sean Longstaff should have been sold
Newcastle sold Longstaff to Leeds for an initial £12m, but it could rise as high as £15m if certain bonus clauses are met.
As the Geordie midfielder was a homegrown player, the fee goes down on the books as pure profit, which is a big boost for PSR.
However, fans are now regretting his departure given the state of the squad he has left behind.
“Perhaps we will miss Longstaff more than we think lol,” X user @TrappNUFC wrote on the social media platform.
The thought was echoed by @embleton01, who wrote: “Losing Sean Longstaff all of a sudden looks like terrible business for Newcastle with the situation the team is in. Worrying times.”
“Decisions made in and around the squad this summer have been awful,” @elmarcosmasonos lamented. “Why you let Longstaff go without replacing him first is beyond me.”
One fan, @letstalknufc, expressed his concern about Newcastle’s lack of midfield options: How is the midfield not a priority for us? Lost Anderson and Longstaff with no replacements.
“Willock a walking Injury. Lose Bruno or Tonali to injury and it’s disaster!”
@JuanGandini even compared PIF’s ownership to Mike Ashley: Must be all the years of Mike Ashley ownership that leads to a total lack of ambition like this!
“We’ve sold Minteh, Anderson, Longstaff, Kelly and released Wilson. We’ve replaced none of them and we’re going into a Champions League season. The squad is woefully short!”
Which midfielder should Newcastle United sign in transfer window?
After such a terrible transfer window, owners PIF have started to come under fire for the first time from fans, with many seeing the events of the window as a result of negligence at worst and incompetence at best.
Real concern over the midfield was sparked when Craig Hope reported that the position was not seen as a priority by Newcastle, despite there being more goalkeepers in the squad than senior midfielders.
Newcastle struggled with the extra burden of Champions League football two years ago and their squad is significantly weaker now than it was then.
Fans are desperate for at least one midfielder to be signed and have even provided possible candidates, such as:
- Lucas Paqueta – West Ham United
- Douglas Luiz – Juventus
- James McAtee – Manchester City
- Carney Chukwuemeka – Chelsea
- Conor Gallagher – Atletico Madrid
There are certainly options out there for Newcastle to sign but they are quickly running out of time to get the squad in fighting shape for the campaign to come.
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