When Newcastle United made their pitch to Dean Huijsen a few weeks ago, those close to him were impressed.
By the level of detail, the clear messaging about the club’s ambition, the role envisaged for one of Europe’s most promising talents and – in the words of one insider – “everything about Eddie Howe”.
But it was an ambitious bid that was never going to come to fruition the moment first Liverpool and then Real Madrid swept in.
In a nutshell, here is the problem Newcastle face at what insiders admit is a “difficult crossroads” in the Magpies’ project.
They aspire to be elite – Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan reasserted to club staff at a spring summit in Northumberland that the ambition is to be among Europe’s best, with backing of PIF to do it – but the reality on the ground can sometimes be difficult to hear.
One recruitment source says the feeling at clubs when Newcastle knock on the door for their players is not as deflating as when Liverpool, Manchester City or Arsenal do.
Don’t get it twisted – there’s still plenty of appetite out there for a club on an upward trajectory with Champions League football to offer but there’s also a belief that Newcastle aren’t in that tier of clubs where a player’s head will be instantly turned.
And because they have an ongoing need to manage their position in relation to profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), they cannot muscle their way into that company by doing what City did in the early Abu Dhabi years and paying twice or three times as much as rivals.
That is the background to Newcastle’s summer. Setbacks, like Bryan Mbeumo picking Manchester United and Hujisen going for Real Madrid, have been “priced in”. There’s no sense of panic and the message coming from the top remains that they will strengthen “significantly”, with four positions targeted.
While domestic targets have emerged – and The i Paper understands that Newcastle have the edge on perennial transfer rivals Chelsea in their interest in Joao Pedro – there are some based overseas who are yet to come into the public domain.
Talks have opened over James Trafford and the player is also keen on the move. Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey, a player they have a long-term interest in who is at a club with ongoing PSR issues, is also one to watch.
Both Pedro and Trafford – players with “very high ceilings,” according to one insider – seem like the sort of blueprint Newcastle are looking at. They tick the boxes of reducing the squad’s average age but already have considerable experience and can “grow” with the club.
Perhaps Newcastle can aspire to replicate a deal like the one they struck for Sandro Tonali in 2023. They have the PSR headroom and, recruitment sources suggest, director of football Paul Mitchell has been networking tirelessly on the club’s behalf in recent months.
At the moment prices are too high for quick deals, with Newcastle still believing a “Saudi tax” is applied when they come to the table. There’s a reason why they pitched for Huijsen and Liam Delap: release clauses made those deals look underpriced. But sooner or later, you suspect, Newcastle are going to have to pay up or move on to target B or C on their hitlist.
And the money and headroom, despite protestations from the club, appears to be there to sign several players at £60million.
“I suspect this is an attempt to circumnavigate the ‘Newcastle tax’,” football finance expert Kieran Maguire tells The i Paper.
Wages to income ratio is at 68 per cent at St James’ Park, just 2 per cent above the average in the Premier League. It gives them scope to adjust their wage structure for the “right player” – and to offer Alexander Isak a sizeable increase when negotiations open on a new deal later this summer.
Maguire says that a £60m player on a £120,000-a-week contract will be booked for PSR purposes as costing £18m a season.
“If they buy two of them, they got more than that for qualifying for the Champions League,” he says.
Newcastle’s caution comes because they want to avoid having to sell players in the future. Isak’s future, with two years on his contract, becomes more of an issue in the summer of 2026 and if they have PSR concerns it will encourage suitors that a deal can be done on the cheap.
That sort of long-term thinking should be the domain of Mitchell, but his imminent exit reflects one area owners PIF are yet to get right. For an organisation that wants the club to run in a strategic way, the failure of any director of football to lay down long-term roots represents a failure.
And it’s been noted in those circles. While the search for Mitchell’s successor is underway – Nottingham Forest’s Ross Wilson and Brighton’s David Weir may have figured in conversations – it feels like a bigger problem is direction.
What kind of football club do they want to be? What sort of director of football do they want, and how much control will he have?
These are questions they need to nail before appointing someone. One person involved in the process to appoint Mitchell said it was “all over the place”. Nolan Partners, who are leading this search, need to earn their money this time because there remains an awful lot of work to do.
Who should Newcastle look at?
We asked data-driven recruitment specialists Analytics FC to pick players off the radar who would tick Newcastle’s boxes. Alex Stewart details the names that stand out.
Cesar Tarrega (Valencia, centre-back)
“He enjoyed a breakout season for Valencia,” Stewart says.
“At 6’5” he is a right-footed Dan Burn type, very dominant in the air, but with excellent quality in his interceptions and tackling as well.
“He’s not as strong in his passing but still registers above league average carrying numbers. He’s also 23 and cash-strapped Valencia have struggled to keep hold of their best players.”
Alexsandro (Lille, centre-back)
Stewart believes he’s “excellent on the ball, physical, and with good aerial metrics”.
“He is an all-rounder who could add to the recent trend of strong ball-playing defenders leaving Ligue 1 for the Premier League.”
Bruno Fuchs (Palmeiras, centre-back)
“A Rolls-Royce defender by Brazilian Serie A standards and would make an excellent addition to the South American contingent on Tyneside,” Stewart says.
“He’s in the top 10 per cent among Serie A centre-backs for all metrics except aerial win percentage, but his long passing really stands out, adding the kind of longer range threat Howe likes to unleash his wide attackers with.”
Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco, winger)
Stewart says: “He is more creator, less scorer (10 assists to five goals this season) but has shone in Ligue 1. His creative metrics are top 10 per cent of the league and our ‘goal difference added’ model puts him in the top 15 per cent for attackers.
“He’s a super carrier of the ball as well, and a 6ft tall, he’s got some presence too. He would be at the top end of the budget, but at 23 he’s not even reached his peak.”
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Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain, winger)
“One smart thing clubs can do is look for high quality players at clubs who already have a lot of options,” Stewart says.
“Lee is one such player who has managed 1600 minutes at PSG but would certainly not be a first -choice pick.
“Nonetheless, Lee is among the top 10 per cent of forwards in Ligue 1 for attacking threat and an extremely talented all-rounder who can also play off the other wing, up front. Although offering less in terms of dribbling, his all round passing and creativity is superb.”
Gabriel Pec (LA Galaxy, winger)
Stewart admits he’s a left-field choice but he’s got 16 goals and 12 assists in MLS, a league that has become far more competitive in the last five years.
“A superb dribbler and carrier who drifts infield to add genuine goal threat,” he says.
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