Now that the dust is settled, we can look back at Newcastle United’s summer transfer window with optimism. It didn’t all go Eddie Howe’s way, but the manager has the tools to tackle the campaign ahead and build on last year’s success.
This has been the story of the English tactician’s tenure at St. James’ Park, having been handed the keys to new riches under PIF ownership, but, more importantly, often making the right pick, signing the right players.
And so while Newcastle were rocked this summer by their talisman Alexander Isak’s decision to force his way out and sign for Premier League champions Liverpool in a record-breaking deal, they have compensated with some exciting additions to strengthen the frontline.
In Yoane Wissa, the Magpies have signed a striker who knows the English game well and arrives having scored 19 goals for Brentford last season.
And in Nick Woltemade, who takes Isak’s place as United’s club-record signing after joining from Stuttgart for £69m, Howe could fashion his latest superstar.
After all, he’s done it time and time again across nearly four years at the helm.
Howe's transfer success with Newcastle
Newcastle might have one of the richest owners in football, but they have spent thriftily in comparison to some of their rivals, moreover, impeded by restrictions imposed by PSR.
Bruno Guimaraes, for example, has perhaps been the defining player of the Howe era at Newcastle, joining from Lyon in France in January 2022 for a £40m fee. Now 27, the skipper bleeds black and white, as was clear after his passionate performance against Liverpool last month.
Howe has grown him, organically, into a superstar, with recent interest from the Saudi Pro League revealing him to have been priced at a jaw-dropping £121m, only marginally off Isak’s record £125m move to Merseyside.
The list goes on. Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento have both risen in market value since landing on Tyneside, and the likes of Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier have been among the shrewdest signings made in recent Premier League history.
However, sometimes it takes a bit of time before one of Howe’s buys clicks into gear, and that is very much the truth when considering Sandro Tonali, who over the past year has bloomed into one of the Premier League’s finest maestros.
Newcastle struck gold on Sandro Tonali
When Newcastle completed the signing of AC Milan’s Tonali in July 2023, they felt they had won the race for one of Europe’s most talented players, a player who Gordon would describe as “one of the best midfielders in the world”.
However, while Howe has created something of a hothouse for tactical growth, not everyone will hit the ground running from the start.
And Tonali was evidence of that, having perhaps struggled to adapt in the first few months before being hit with a damaging betting breaches charge from the Italian Football Federation, banned for ten months.
Podcast host Andrew Musgrove has even gone as far as to describe the Italy international as being one of Newcastle’s “standout” players, with the decision to field him deeper last season giving rise to Guimaraes’ athleticism and multi-facetedness in the middle of the park.
This was one of the main reasons behind United finding form before Christmas last season, constructing a winning run that led to Champions League qualification and triumph in the Carabao Cup, beating Liverpool in the final.
Matches (starts)
8 (5)
36 (28)
Goals
1
4
Assists
0
2
Touches*
39.8
53.4
Pass completion
88%
86%
Key passes*
1.0
0.8
Dribbles*
0.4
0.6
Ball recoveries*
2.5
4.9
Tackles + interceptions*
1.2
2.3
Total duels (won)*
2.1 (47%)
3.7 (54%)
The 25-year-old’s deeper berth on the field and immense ground-covering role have seen him go from strength to strength, indeed earning recognition as one of the best in the business.
Though his market value hasn’t risen exponentially across his time on Tyneside, Tonali still boasts an expected price tag of £58m, as per Football Transfers, which places him among the best in Howe’s brood.
Tonali hasn’t quite reached the same financial ballpark as players such as Guimaraes and Isak, but there are many of a Toon persuasion who would argue that he is on that same level.
He’s undoubtedly one of the creams of this team, and while Newcastle have landed talents such as Wissa – who joined from Brentford for the same fee as Tonali: £55m – it’s perhaps true that the DR Congo international is limited in terms of scope, and 28 years old besides.
In fact, Tonali has drawn comparisons with his legendary compatriot Andrea Pirlo, with Howe amusingly commenting that it’s “not just the hair”, which further underscores the kind of player that he is, very much one of the best that Newcastle are likely to see any time soon.
There’s also little question that Tonali’s financial development was hindered by his betting ban, and that if he can reclaim the kind of form that led Newcastle to glory last season, he may well leave behind one of the biggest legacies of this Howe era, chock-full of knockout signings.
Wissa also has a chance to provide goals for the Toon outfit over the next few years, but he perhaps doesn’t have the same scope as someone like Tonali, who now has the chance to lead his team to more glory and create an iron-firm midfield capable of unlocking the capacities of players such as Wissa.
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