- Eddie Howe has provided an update regarding the future of Alexander Isak
- Howe is eager for Newcastle to take advantage of other clubs’ PSR concerns
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Eddie Howe says Newcastle want to swoop on vulnerable rivals before this summer’s PSR deadline – just like others preyed on their financial trouble last year.
It was in June that the club, when faced with the prospect of a 10-point deduction, contemplated selling Anthony Gordon to Liverpool to satisfy their PSR deficit.
In the end, Yankuba Minteh joined Brighton for £33million and Elliot Anderson moved to Nottingham Forest for £35m, but only with back-up goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos arriving on Tyneside for £20m. He has played just 45 minutes this season.
Howe has spoken about the difficulty of last summer and the want to avoid a repeat of the scramble to sell players against their wishes.
But now, after three windows without the addition of a first-team player, Newcastle are ready to turn the tables. It is thought the likes of Aston Villa and Bournemouth will need to sell stars before the June 30 deadline.
Howe said: ‘I’ve made it clear last year that there’s almost two transfer windows now. The PSR deadline plays a huge role for clubs – both those clubs with PSR issues and those without, because those without may potentially look to try to sign players. They will look to take advantage of other clubs, as clubs did to us last year, quite rightly.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has provided an update on Alexander Isak’s future
Howe has revealed that Isak is not for sale as he looks to ensure the striker stays at the club
Howe stated that Newcastle are looking to take advantage of the PSR concerns of other clubs
‘It’s a really interesting dynamic, and one that we’re really aware of and that we’ll try to use to our advantage if we can. I can’t go into the details of that, but no doubt we’ve got people at the club who are working very hard behind the scenes on it.’
Howe would prefer for Newcastle to have new arrivals in the building by the time the team return for pre-season training in early July, with a goalkeeper, centre-back and right-winger on his wish-list.
The failure to do any significant business last summer was well publicised, amid tension between Howe and new sporting director Paul Mitchell. And the head coach says the challenge now is to make deals happen.
‘It’s great that the window opens on June 1,’ he said. ‘The challenge is for us to sign players in early June. But it doesn’t always work like that. I hope in reality it does, but it rarely works like that.
‘It gets harder and harder to sign good players. So I’d rather sign the right player than settle for someone and get them in early, but let’s wait and see. It is very difficult to predict.’
Running parallel to incomings is the lingering prospect of star names such as Alexander Isak being the subject of offers from elsewhere.
But Howe said: ‘We want to keep our best players. I think I’ve made that very clear. That’s not just the wish from me. That’s the wish from everyone at the club. I don’t have a crystal ball. I can’t sit here and say what’s going to happen. I can only say what my determination is, and it is to build a team, the best team possible – and to do that you can’t consistently lose your best players.’
He added: ‘He (Isak) is not for sale from my perspective. I want to build a squad and I want the strongest squad possible for next season. There is a lot to look forward to here, hopefully. The end of the season is crucial for us. I think we have a strong squad and if we can add players for the first time in a few windows, that will make a massive, massive difference for us. That’s what I’m focussing on, not the other way around.’
