Journalist Andrew Musgrove has claimed Newcastle United have a set list of transfer targets and are unlikely to deviate from them in January.
Newcastle and PIF set out their stall very early on in the transfer market that they weren’t going to be messed about by clubs or agents just because of the club’s newfound wealth, which was showcased in their pursuit of Sven Botman.
Last January, Newcastle saw their approaches for Botman rejected, but didn’t give up hope and decided to go back in for the defender in the summer as they managed to get their man – showing they will sign the players they want, but only if the price is right.
Musgrove has spoken on the It’s All Black N White YouTube channel about how PIF will maintain this approach in the transfer market, no matter where they are in the league when the window opens.
He said: “One thing is for sure – we’ve seen it in the first two windows at Newcastle United, and the conclusion I’ve taken from it is that they have a list of players and they like to stick to those players.
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“They didn’t get Botman originally, they went back in for Botman in the summer; didn’t get [Hugo] Ekitike in January, they went back in for him in the summer – didn’t get him; but they seem to have this pool of players where they like to pick from.”
TIF Thoughts on Newcastle’s transfer strategy…
While this strategy can be frustrating as they only signed four players over the summer, Newcastle did manage to get targets such as Botman and Alexander Isak, who they had previously left and came back to once they could get him for a better price.
PIF have to be praised for coming into football and being very bullish over their approach to business by not splashing silly money on players who were just after a big payday, which has certainly helped the Magpies shoot up the table.
With Dan Ashworth and Eddie Howe at the helm working on transfers, Newcastle will likely continue this strategy going into January no matter if they are in the top four or not as it has worked so far, so there is no need to change something that’s not broken.