Newcastle United are moving but Bruno Guimaraes is not.
A busy Thursday on Tyneside that saw a new signing, a senior man promoted and Eddie Howe in bullish mood offered hints of what is to come to this season and beyond at St James’ Park.
Here’s what we learned as Newcastle’s manager and star man spoke, and the club cut the ribbon on a major infrastructure project.
Bruno Guimaraes ends exit talk – and gets a new role
The last shred of lingering doubt about Guimaraes’ future has been put to bed long before this month’s transfer deadline.
If Howe is honest enough that everyone has their price in the Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) era, that no longer applies where the Brazil international is concerned.
“I am here and never said I wanted to leave,” he said.
“I’ve always said I want to put my name in the club’s history and that hasn’t changed.
“I want to be in the Champions League again, I want to win something for the club. This is still my dream.”
Guimaraes has also been voted into the five-man leadership group at the club by his colleagues, joining Dan Burn, Callum Wilson, Jamaal Lascelles and Kieran Trippier as Howe’s dressing room conduits.
The way he spoke on Thursday – embracing the chance to address his future and speak bullishly about club targets – made clear that the informal interest expressed by Arsenal and Manchester City in him earlier this year will not be followed up in September. And with a long-term contract to offer him certainty and protect the club, he feels settled and focused before the new year.
Few of those plugged into the club’s war gaming for the transfer window saw that coming in January, but it is a testament to Guimaraes’s loyalty and the debt of gratitude he believes he owes to Howe that he feels so integral to Newcastle’s plans. The midfielder is a rare gem, on and off the field.
Marc Guehi deal remains in play but no fee agreed yet
Howe joked that his phone has “not been going off as much as I’d like” this summer in a reference to the slow recruitment progress that has been a feature of a turbulent summer at St James’ Park.
What was viewed as a potentially big summer has proven anything but – although insiders feel Newcastle have at least one sizeable deal in them before the season kicks off.
Could that be Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi? Talks are “ongoing” and there is a measure of optimism, i understands. But conviction about the transfer earlier in the week has run into complex deal dynamics.
Newcastle are yet to meet Palace’s £65m valuation: they have other areas in need of strengthening and no outgoing deals lined up.
It is understood personal terms wouldn’t be a problem – Guehi is seemingly keen on the move – but other defensive targets are being worked on in parallel to the England defender.
Newcastle still need further arrivals and have right-wing targets lined up but recruitment is likely to drag into the first weeks of the season. And – worryingly – as yet there is no sign of the market heating up for any team in the Premier League.
William Osula arrives – and an insight into transfer dynamics
A £15m deal for Sheffield United’s William Osula was confirmed in the minutes before Howe arrived at Newcastle’s new media centre.
He is the versatile, young forward the club have wanted to sign for 12 months but talk that it was a Paul Mitchell capture was at odds with Howe’s assertion that he was on their transfer long list for three years and had been first mentioned by Jason Tindall.
Osula ticks a few boxes. He has the physical attributes, mentality and potential to grow as a player and – crucially – appreciate in value.
He will also not expect to start every week, so can complement Newcastle’s existing forwards. There is quiet satisfaction that they have been able to do the deal.
“He has all the raw ingredients to become a great centre-forward, a good physical profile and good technical skills,” Howe said.
“There are areas of his game to develop but he’s coming to the right place to do that.”
Eddie Howe really, really wants to keep Callum Wilson
He may be rehabilitating a back injury but four times Howe namechecked striker Wilson, hailing him as “outstanding” at one point. That drew an appreciative nod from Guimaraes, who – like the rest of the dressing room – appreciates the quality of the England striker.
Whatever the speculation around a player moving into the final year of his contract – and there is interest from Saudi Arabia in him – it is clear Howe wants him to stay at Newcastle, play a part next season and possibly sign another contract extension.
The mood music from inside the club is that Howe could get his way on all three things. The signing of Osula as back-up certainly removes some of the concern about what happens if his body breaks down.
PSR is still an issue at Newcastle – and Kieran Trippier could be the odd man out
The June scramble means there will be no points deduction at Newcastle but they are not out of the PSR woods yet. Not by a long chalk.
“I don’t think PSR is going to change drastically for us, short term,” Howe said.
“There’s going to be a period where, yes of course we can recruit, but there’s got to be a balance to that.
“We’re going to have to bring in income as well. We’re managing that very delicately. Of course, with Alex and Callum hopefully both being fit for the majority of the season and carrying that attacking load together, then when you have a sum of money to spend, you’re logically not going to spend a huge sum of money in that position when you have other positions that maybe require a bit more investment.
“It’s a very difficult balance.”
Howe welcomed Trippier back to training this week and believes he’s an important member of the dressing room.
But it was telling that when i asked about his future, Howe admitted PSR could force him to leave.
“I see him as a huge part of the team and the squad going forward but as I said earlier, there will always be – while we’re in the moment of financial fair play still affecting the club – there’ll always be the possibility that anyone could leave.
“So I won’t talk about individually players but naturally, with incomings there will be outgoings as well.
Ambition and positivity the theme – but the undercurrent of uncertainty remains
Anthony Gordon returned to training this week and Howe praised him as “exceptional” and harbouring “no distractions”. That has to be viewed as good news, with Liverpool lurking in the background, as does the imminent return of Sandro Tonali.
With Joe Willock and Nick Pope also available to start the campaign, Newcastle are not shying away from their pre-season target: the top four.
But underneath that there remains a measure of uncertainty. The off-field turbulence has shifted things and little of substance has changed since Howe’s bombshell interview in Germany last month. England, intriguingly, are going to keep the managerial hot seat open.
Progress in the transfer market and a good start feel critical to Newcastle’s hopes of riding out their summer storm.
Newcastle to announce another sponsor as STACK opens
Across the city, in the shadow of St James’ Park the club opened their new Stack fan zone, a collection of 56 repurposed shipping containers housing local food and beer suppliers. Think Wembley Boxpark in black and white.
It is the end product of a project two years in the making, which started when Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) bought land adjacent to the stadium.
The idea is it will grow into another major revenue stream for Newcastle and was hailed as further proof of the club’s willingness to invest to create income.
A new megastore that insiders say is “best in class” will replaced the temporary huts that have hawked Adidas kits this summer in September and the feasibility study on the stadium will be shared “imminently”.
These are hugely important signs of which way PIF see Newcastle moving next.
It is understood the club will announce another major club sponsor imminently, but the process is clearly a long-term one, with signs of progress hard earned on and off the field.
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