Journalist Andrew Musgrove has claimed Newcastle United are now aiming for more signings of a similar level to Sven Botman and Bruno Guimaraes.
Newcastle had appeared to pull off a major coup when they signed Guimaraes given he was reportedly wanted by top European clubs, and the Brazilian midfielder has gone on to prove why those sides should have taken a gamble on him in January, as he’s seen by a lot of fans as the best midfielder outside of the so-called ‘big six’.
Another top recruit by PIF has been Botman, who they pursued for several months from January until July, and that patience has paid off with the Dutchman having become an accomplished part of Eddie Howe’s back four, earning the nickname of Rolls-Royce.
Musgrove has now claimed on the It’s All Black N White YouTube channel that PIF will be looking to replicate those kinds of signings at Newcastle in the near future to take them to the next level.
Who's been the better signing for Newcastle?
Botman!
Guimaraes!
He said: “[Botman] was wanted by a lot of top teams – AC Milan for one. And that’s the kind of bar Newcastle have set with him and Bruno Guimaraes; Newcastle United are going to be aiming for players around that level.”
TIF Thoughts on Newcastle’s transfer aims…
It is a sign of the times and how quickly Newcastle’s fortunes have turned around in just over 12 months that they are now said to be targeting international players and trying to prise them from clubs that can offer Champions League football, whereas not too long ago, they couldn’t afford a loan fee for Hamza Choudhury.
If Newcastle can indeed attract just one player of Guimaraes and Botman’s quality – perhaps in the forward positions – they could well turn into big favourites for finishing inside the top four this season.
Newcastle fans will likely still have to pinch themselves when they are being talked about alongside some of the top players in Europe, with the Magpies being linked with the likes of James Maddison and Moussa Diaby in recent times, and it appears these kinds of links aren’t going away any time soon.