Newcastle United had a summer transfer window to forget after missing out on all of their top targets.
Any Newcastle United fans hoping for an emphatic summer of business to fuel a push for a top-four finish have been left bitterly disappointed.
The Tyneside club started their summer by selling two exciting young talents in the shape of Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh – deals they had to get over the line to avoid breaching financial rules.
But things didn’t get much better for Newcastle even after they navigated their PSR problems – Lewis Hall arrived in a £30m deal, but that was an agreement the club had already reached 12 months prior.
Deals for Odysseas Vlachodimos, William Osula, Lloyd Kelly and John Ruddy haven’t done much to inspire hope at St James’ Park, and things only went from bad to worse on deadline day.
Newcastle walked away from a deal for Marc Guehi after multiple bids were rejected and they failed in a last-minute bid for Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga.
Bruno Guimaraes on Newcastle United transfers
The one silver lining in Newcastle’s window is that they kept hold of their biggest stars.
Bruno Guimaraes had been linked with Manchester City but stayed at the club to become Newcastle’s captain.
Alexander Isak also stayed put despite interest from Arsenal, while Newcastle also fended off Liverpool’s interest in Anthony Gordon.
Bruno Guimaraes has now joked about Newcastle’s transfer window, claiming Sandro Tonali‘s return could act as their best signing of the summer.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Guimaraes said “Sandro is a good guy. I think we missed him a lot.
“I think, since he came we were trying to get him close to us [Guimaraes and Joelinton] so we have a good friendship.
“We play a lot of Call of Duty together, we’re always trying to do something together. I know these moments have been tough for him being out of the pitch. You see a player fit but he couldn’t play and help us.
“But it was a lovely moment for him in the last game, he came and did very, very well.
“I think for this season, we didn’t sign no one so I think he will be our best signing,” Guimaraes joked.
“It was important to have him back, and I’m wishing him all the very best.”
Disaster start for Paul Mitchell at Newcastle United
Losing Dan Ashworth to Manchester United looked like a major blow for Newcastle, but they reacted quickly to bring in Paul Mitchell in a sporting director role and it helped patch over Ashworth’s exit.
But Mitchell has had a summer to forget. Missing out on Guehi has left Newcastle incredibly short of quality and depth at centre-back.
READ MORE: Why Newcastle United rejected deadline day bids for £15m man from two Prem rivals
A new right-winger was also at the top of Newcastle’s shopping list but Mitchell has failed to deliver either during his first window as director.
The hope for Newcastle fans is that their cautious window this summer should free up finances for a spending spree in the near future.
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