Newcastle have been urged to continue avoiding the top bracket of players by Noel Whelan, even as they climb the Premier League table.
The former Premier League striker was speaking to Football Insider following the Magpies putting together back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
A 5-1 win at home to Brentford lifted Eddie Howe’s side up to sixth in the standings and with a trip to Old Trafford this weekend, they could well find themselves ahead of the Red Devils in fifth before the week’s out.
Now backed by the Saudi-based PIF, Newcastle spent over £120m in the summer but the arrivals of Sven Botman (22) and Alexander Isak (23) highlight their transfer strategy.
Opposed to superstar signings the club have opted to bring in up-and-coming talents.
Now Whelan has claimed that their recent high-scoring form points to a bright future.
He said:
“Absolutely, they’re amazing to watch.
“But at the same time, they’re a strong unit. They’re defensively strong, the midfield looks like they’re enjoying themselves, and you’ve got goals from all kinds of areas.
“They’re all very confident and enjoying life, which Guimaraes touched on after the match.
“When you’re winning football games, that can only be the case.
“They’re building a really strong side now, and they’re looking like top six challengers. And this is even without some players on the treatment table.
“They haven’t signed the top players. What they have done is sign the best of the rest, and it’s really worked for them.
“As they climb up the table there might be the temptation to go for that Pot A player, but this is proof that they don’t really need to.”
TIF Thoughts on Whelan’s comments…
Will Newcastle finish inside the top six?
Yes!
No!
The likes of Gareth Bale and Neymar were linked with a move to Tyneside as fans fantasised over what might be following the club’s takeover.
However, Dan Ashworth and Steve Nickson have gone about their business soundly in the past two transfer windows combining experience and youth.
Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn and Matt Targett have well over 500 games of Premier League action between them and have helped form solid foundations which have saw the Toon lose just one of their first nine league games this season.
It has allowed Bruno Guimaraes (24) to flourish and his brace last weekend should be another exciting sign for the north-east club moving forward.