There's no doubt that the mood on Tyneside is still mundane after the most recent news on the club's proposed takeover. It was announced that all parties involved including Amanda Stavely's PCP Capital Firm, have agreed to postpone the arbitration proceedings to early 2022. With this announcement it was no surprise that the fan base have already predicted the worse, and there are growing fears that Newcastle United won't have enough this season to accomplish survival, unless we act cleverly in the Summer.
With the Euros concluding just under two weeks ago, there has not been too much activity across the league, which is usually the case after a major tournament in the Summer. This being said Newcastle have seen more outgoings than arrivals with Andy Carroll and Florian Lejeune being the most significant figures to leave the football club. Although I don't believe this will have too much of a negative impact on the field, what's been an issue since Lee Charnley took the position of Managing Director at the club, and running all off-field activities, has been the recruitment policy and squad depth . It's no secret we need to address all three three areas on the pitch. I fear Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson will suffer injuries this season with their history, and without them, we struggled to create chances and hold possession. Our central midfield contains hard workers such as Sean Longstaff and Issac Haydem, but very little pace and playmaking with Jonjo Shelvey who once upon a time was our main man in that area, has seem to dip drastically in form over the last year. The defence is somewhat inconsistent, as again injuries have proved tricky for the back line, as there is constant changes especially in the central positions where we seem to miss our captain Jamaal Lascelles for long periods of the campaign. The questions are what is Newcastle United's actual budget this season and realistically, who can we attract during this point of the campaign with the club still in limbo.
There has been strong talk of three players arriving on Tyneside, with Joe Willock, Mario Lemina, and Ross Barkley being the reported targets over the next few weeks. Joe Willock not surprisingly being the number one target after his brilliant loan spell at the club, where he scored 8 goals in 14 appearances and became a fans favorite instantly . The issue will be Arsenal's and Mikel Arteta's stance, as if they want to sell rather than loan Joe, Newcaslte may not have the funds to meet the player's valuation. Mario Lemina is a player that has been linked with Newcastle over the last few weeks, and it was reported in the Daily Mail that talks have occured, but Newcastle seem to be only willing to offer £4 Million, which Southampton are not willing to let him go for. Ross Barkley has been the most recent name thrown into the pile, and as much as I think a fit Ross Barkely would be a good signing, I fear the wages will be the sticking point if Chelsea are either willing to loan him or sell him at a very reasonable price.
It's a big summer for the football club and they must show willingness, and if that means loaning players in until the takeover situation has resolved itself, then so be it. What we can't do is go into the season under resourced, with hope that again we achieve Premier League status towards the latter stages of the season.
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