'Essential' Newcastle United transfer claim after double £68m agreement

With the Magpies struggling for consistency in the Premier League - Saturday’s 4-2 defeat at Brentford saw them fall to 12th in the table - there is recognition that recruiting a new face or two next month would help give the squad a boost.

However, Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) continue to dictate everything United can and can’t do.

In the summer, Newcastle were forced to sell Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson to Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest, respectively, for a combined £68million in order to comply with PSR. Failure to do so would have likely resulted in a points deduction.

Howe’s side spent the final month of the summer window attempting to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi but refused to meet his £70m asking price. The perception was United would have a similar amount to spend in January but Howe warned that isn’t the case.

Were Newcastle to buy in January, the suggestions are they would have to sell also in order to balance the books.

When asked if he feared selling a player he doesn’t want to lose, Howe replied: "What I will say is that trading is essential both in and out - to the model of PSR. The days where teams don't sell players are, unless your revenue streams are so big, are gone.

“I think our revenue streams aren't where we want them to be and we are still trying to grow them so I think trading in and out is going to be essential.

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“Hopefully, it is not going to be players that we are forced to sell like we were in that situation (June with Anderson and Minteh) with a couple of days with deadlines approaching. Hopefully it is a more stable setting but you can't guarantee anything.

“We will try and do our best. I keep saying the same things, we’ll try and do our best. Nothing’s absolutely fixed at the moment. There’ll be a lot of twists and turns, but the want from everyone internally is to try and improve the squad. If we can do, we will. If we can’t, we won’t.”

Since the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia became owners in October 2021, Newcastle have spent around £450m on new signings, which includes big money swoops for Alexander Isak (£63m), Sandro Tonali (£55m) and Anthony Gordon (£45m).

Under PSR, does the way Newcastle recruit have to change?

"That's a difficult one to answer,” Howe replied. “Every transfer will be different. There may well have to be an adjustment, but it has to be taken on an individual basis.

“Signings like Will Osula [£15m from Sheffield United] which was very much with a view to potential in the future, a player we really like, will be a different kind of signing to Alex [Isak], who was brought in for the here and now to hit the ground running straight away. It very much depends on what your need is, but I do get the question that if PSR will continue to be an issue for us for the next few years ahead, we're going to have to be smart and that's the key thing.

“We're going to have to be clever with what we do. It doesn't mean we can't hopefully make big signings and players for the here and now who are ready to play, but maybe not all under that category at the same time."