Newcastle United's 'clever business' as inevitable departure edges ever closer

Had we been told that Newcastle United would have been looking to sell some popular senior figures only 12 months ago, few would have believed you on Tyneside.

But the financial climate has changed significantly since then and as we approach not only June's PSR health check deadline but also the August 30 general transfer deadline, it feels inevitable that Eddie Howe will be reluctantly waving off somebody he really wouldn't mind keeping.

But Howe's hands are tied to an extent because given what happened to Everton and Nottingham Forest last season, with points deductions that threatened them with relegation at one stage, Newcastle must comply with the financial rules. They can't be seen to have made a loss of more than £105m across a three-year cycle.

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And subsequently, they now face parting company with players like number 9 Callum Wilson, exciting teenager Yankubah Minteh and possibly fan favourite Miguel Almiron.

Had somebody spoke in those terms just a year ago few would have taken it seriously. But here we are, here we are indeed!

Newcastle, a club that have incredible financial powers, find themselves restricted to wheeling and dealing in the market. It's not the type of world Newcastle fans thought they would be entering in October 2021 when a Saudi-backed consortium took over and dreams of signing the best players in the world began in earnest.

As things stand, Newcastle supporters will be happy to get through this window with Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes still on board. What's also true is that Newcastle need to bring in more additions before it is too late. Is the squad in its current form going to frighten the top four?

You'd say not, unfortunately - so clever business must be done, and done swiftly.