With £57m spent on 12 new players, how does Newcastle United’s transfer business look following deadline day?
As you often find with relegated teams, Newcastle have been one of the most active sides in the transfer window with plenty of players heading both in and out of the club.
Here is how Rafa Benitez has been preparing his side for life in the Championship…
Ins
Matz Sels (£4.5m from Gent)
Dwight Gayle (£10m from Crystal Palace)
Matt Ritchie (£12m from Bournemouth)
Jesus Gamez (£1.5m from Atletico Madrid)
Isaac Hayden (£2.5m from Arsenal)
Grant Hanley (£5.5m from Blackburn Rovers)
Ciaran Clark (£5m from Aston Villa)
Mohamed Diame (£4.5m from Hull City)
DeAndre Yedlin (£5m from Tottenham Hotspur)
Daryl Murphy (£3.5m from Ipswich Town)
Achraf Lazaar (£3m from Palermo)
Christian Atsu (loan from Chelsea)
Total spending: £57m
United’s £57m spent on players surpasses many Premier League sides, and it is clear that they don’t intend to stay in the second tier for long.
Benitez has bought an entirely new XI capable of fighting for promotion from the Championship, with proven goalscorers Dwight Gayle and Daryl Murphy joining other experienced players such as Matt Ritchie, Mohamed Diame and Grant Hanley.
These new recruits joined up with a side that already included the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ayoze Perez, Jonjo Shelvey and Jamaal Lascelles as the Magpies look to have plenty of strength in depth following their summer acquisitions.
Four of the 12 players brought in are yet to start for the first team but Gayle, Ritchie and Isaac Hayden in particular have hit the ground running at their new club with six goals and three assists between them already.
Diame has also looked good in recent weeks, providing a brilliant assist for Gayle in the 1-0 win at Bristol City and for £4.5m looks to be a good buy.
Defensive players Hanley, Ciaran Clark and Jesus Gamez look set to be used as rotation options by Benitez as United’s squad looks well equipped to deal with the congested schedule that comes with Championship football.
Questions have been asked over goalkeeper Matz Sels after a shaky start to his Newcastle career. However, a significantly more convincing display in the 2-0 win over Brighton last weekend will surely give fans a bit more confidence in regards to their new stopper.
Attacking full-backs Achraf Lazaar and DeAndre Yedlin will add significant pace and width to the United defence while the loan signing of Christian Atsu could potentially add a greater threat going forward.
Outs
Steven Taylor (free to Portland Timbers)
Andros Townsend (£13m to Crystal Palace)
Fabricio Coloccini (free to San Lorenzo)
Papiss Cisse (£2.5m to Shandong Luneng)
Georginio Wijnaldum (£25m to Liverpool)
Remy Cabella (undisc. to Marseille)
Daryl Janmaat (£7.5m to Watford)
Gael Bigirimana (undisc. to Coventry City)
Moussa Sissoko (£30m to Everton)
Florian Thauvin (loan to Marseille)
Ivan Toney (loan to Shrewsbury Town)
Siem de Jong (loan to PSV)
Kevin Mbabu (loan to Young Boys)
Henri Saivet (loan to Saint-Etienne)
Tim Krul (loan to Ajax)
Adam Armstrong (loan to Barnsley)
Jamie Sterry (loan to Coventry)
Haris Vuckic (loan to Bradford City)
Sammy Ameobi (loan to Bolton)
Emmanuel Riviere (loan to Osasuna)
Sylvain Marveux (released)
Gabriel Obertan (released)
Total incoming: ~ £85m
Net spend: ~ £28m profit
There has been a mass exodus in terms of outgoings from St. James’ Park this summer with several big-name players jumping ship following the Magpies’ relegation.
Georgino Wijnaldum, Daryl Janmaat and Andros Townsend’s departures will come as no surprise as all three opted for immediate moves back to the Premier League.
The £25m received for Wijnaldum will be seen as a very good piece of business as United almost doubled the fee they paid for the midfielder little over a year ago.
Remy Cabella made his loan move to Marseille permanent and won’t be too sorely missed by Newcastle fans.
Picture Supplied by Action Images
French flops Emmanuel Riviere, Henri Saivet and Florian Thauvin have also been shipped out on loan as United attempt to cut down their wage bill.
Big earners Siem de Jong and Tim Krul have also returned to Holland with the Dutch internationals securing loan moves to PSV and Ajax respectively.
However, far and away the most intriguing part of Newcastle’s transfer window was the summer-long saga involving Moussa Sissoko.
The French international has been trying to force a move away from the Magpies for what seems an eternity and had to wait right until the very last moments of the window to finally worm his way out of the club.
The £30m move to Tottenham Hotspur was far from straightforward, however. Everton looked set to sign the 27-year-old until Spurs came in with an 11th hour bid after previously cooling their interest in the player.
The transfer could be seen as a good or a bad thing depending on your point of view though Newcastle will be very pleased having made a huge profit on a player that largely underperformed during his time at the club.
Verdict
Overall, you have to say Newcastle have enjoyed a successful transfer window this summer considering they are now a Championship side.
The quantity and quality of signings for the Magpies may have raised questions if they were still a Premier League club but in the Championship they are making a real statement of intent in regards to making a quick return to the top flight.
For a relegated club to sell almost £100m worth of players in one transfer window is astounding and just goes to show how badly the side underperformed last term as they now look to rebuild under Benitez.
Offloading the deadwood and reducing the wage-bill, all while keeping some big players and making a hefty profit means Newcastle will be very happy following deadline day.
Grade: A-
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