NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 18: Newcastle United Head Coach Eddie Howe speaks during the Newcastle United Press Conference at The Newcastle United Training Centre on October 18, 2022 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Despite the paucity of acquisitions so far this summer, Eddie Howe has stated that transfer conversations are happening on a regular basis behind the scenes at Newcastle United.
In front of a crowd, Newcastle defeated Hull City 2-0 at the MKM Stadium on Saturday in the team’s first preseason friendly. Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak scored in a contest that featured a starting lineup devoid of any recent additions and a bench primarily composed of Under-21 players.
Howe remarked after the game, “I think it was a good game, a tough game for us.” “I believe that Hull is a physically stronger team than us, and they have a very different style of play than most teams you see. They showed us a lot of interesting things, and it took us maybe ten minutes to adjust.”
So far this summer, the Magpies have signed Lloyd Kelly, Odysseas Vlachodimos, John Ruddy, and made Lewis Hall’s loan permanent. However, there hasn’t been any transfer movement for about a month.
Furthermore, Howe acknowledged that despite regular talks with the club’s recruitment team and others like Paul Mitchell, no acquisitions are currently in the works.
Howe responded, “Not at the moment no,” when asked about any updates or an explanation of the current transfer scenario.
“To try and move the squad forward and make sure we’re ready for what will be a very tough Premier League season, of course we’re having discussions every day, several times a day, but I can’t give you false news, we’re working towards that and everyone wants the same endpoint, let’s see what happens.”
Howe said last week that he was seeking clarification over the changes made at the club during the summer in Germany. He then mentioned that constructive discussions have since taken place behind the scenes, emphasizing the necessity for everyone to collaborate as part of the new dynamic behind the scenes.
“Collaboration is more important than having the last word, and there have been a lot of good conversations. We’re working to bring in the right players for the football team,” he continued. “Making the proper decisions for the football club is about a collection of individuals coming together; it’s never about one person’s decision, and it shouldn’t be.”
Howe responded, “Disruption is not the right word and I’m at the end point of the recruitment work as I’m busy coaching the team,” when asked if the summer’s “disruption” has affected transfers.
“Of course, I contribute at the end of the information gathering process, but transfers take effort all year long.
“I’ve been working very hard on the training field and listening to a lot of talk about transfer targets and trying to bring players in. Hopefully, we hear something soon about that.”
“It’s hard to predict when signings will happen, but if I give you firm answers, you’ll hold me to it and I’ll look foolish!
“Everyone wants to be involved, but the market is complicated, slow, and expensive. We are only able to try our hardest to entice players.
