We are now starting to see, very clearly, what Newcastle United’s transfer strategy looks like when it is driven almost entirely by Eddie Howe. And the worrying part is that many of the concerns raised in the past are no longer theoretical. They are playing out in real time, with real money, and with real consequences for the future of the club.
When Paul Mitchell arrived at St James’ Park, he did not sugar-coat his view of how Newcastle had been operating in the transfer market. He openly questioned whether the club’s approach was fit for purpose and pointed out that other teams, using smarter recruitment built on data and long-term planning, were moving ahead.
His message was simple but uncomfortable: relying on familiar names, inflated Premier League prices and short-term thinking would eventually hurt the club.
Fast forward to now, and Newcastle have spent well over £240 million in a single summer window. Yet despite that massive outlay, it is hard to argue that the starting eleven has improved. Even the depth and rotation options feel no stronger. In some areas, they arguably look weaker or older, with fewer solutions for the seasons ahead.
Take the squad balance. Jacob Ramsey, signed for a hefty fee, now sits as a sixth-choice midfielder. Anthony Elanga, bought at great expense, has struggled to offer anything meaningful.
Dan Burn has again been asked to cover at left-back, despite already showing two seasons ago that he is not suited to the role. Age has not helped him, and neither has pace suddenly arrived. These are not marginal miscalculations. They are basic squad-planning errors.
Dan Ashworth and Paul Mitchell were aligned on one core principle. You build a sustainable club by identifying talent early, before the market explodes, not by panic-buying players who are already at peak age and peak price. Mitchell said it clearly: you cannot keep throwing capital at short-term fixes every year and expect to prosper. Eventually, the bill comes due.
Both men believed in a five-year vision. Scout globally. Buy young. Develop. Sell at the right time. Reinvest. Yankuba Minteh was the perfect example. Signed quietly for a modest fee, barely known, then developed into a player valued at many times that amount. That is how modern clubs grow without breaking themselves.
Eddie Howe’s vision is very different. It is not unique to him, but it is typical of managers. Win the next game. Protect the job. Chase trophies now. Sign players he trusts, which usually means players he has faced, players who impressed against his team, and players already proven in the Premier League. It is understandable, but it is also dangerous when left unchecked.
Success requires balance. Short-term competitiveness matters, but so does long-term planning. The issue at Newcastle is that the balance appears to have disappeared. There have been persistent reports that Ashworth found Howe difficult to work with, largely because Howe preferred his inner circle and did not fully embrace the sporting director model. Over time, that tension grew.
It is hard to escape the feeling that Howe eventually pushed both Ashworth and Mitchell aside. The cup win gave him authority, and with that success came full control over recruitment. From one perspective, you could argue he earned that power. From another, it removed the safeguards that protect clubs from costly mistakes.
Once Howe had the keys, Newcastle spent heavily. And now we can see the results. Alexander Isak replaced by Nick Woltemade. Thiaw brought in for Schar. These are not upgrades. They are lateral moves at best, downgrades at worst.
Jacob Ramsey is perhaps the clearest example of everything that went wrong. Three years ago, he looked like a future England regular. Then injuries struck. Since returning, his output has dropped sharply. One goal and five assists last season as a fringe Villa player is not elite production.
He had two years left on his deal, refused an extension, had no bidding war behind him, and Villa were under pressure due to PSR. Fans expected a modest fee. Newcastle paid far above market value. This was supposed to be Newcastle taking advantage of a struggling club. Instead, they overpaid.
At the same time, Chelsea secured an 18-year-old Brazilian international, already capped, injury-free, and being compared to the very best young players in the world, for significantly less. The contrast is stark. Why is a physically declining, injury-hit midfielder worth more than one of the brightest teenage talents in global football? That is exactly the question Ashworth and Mitchell were warning about.
Anthony Elanga is another case study. He thrived at Nottingham Forest because the system suited him. Low defensive responsibility, quick transitions, space to run into. Newcastle play a high press and often face deep defensive blocks. Elanga looks uncomfortable, ineffective, and out of place. The fee paid was at least close to fair value, which means the club might recover most of it, but it does not change the fact that the signing made little tactical sense.
Yoane Wissa is even more concerning. He arrived at almost 29 years old after one standout scoring season. Football history is not kind to non-elite strikers once they hit their thirties. In two years, Newcastle could be paying big wages to a declining forward with no resale value, tied down on a long contract. This is not asset management. It is short-term gambling.
The age profile of the squad should worry everyone. Over the next two seasons, Newcastle will need to replace Pope, Ramsdale if he leaves, Trippier, Krafth, Schar, Burn, Joelinton, Murphy, Willock, Wissa and Barnes. Many of these players will leave for free or near enough. Replacing that many first-team options will cost a fortune. Yet instead of addressing this issue early, the club has added more ageing players to the pile.
There is also a clear pattern in Howe’s recruitment. Elanga destroyed Newcastle at Forest. Ramsey scored a wonder goal against them at Villa. Wissa punished them last season. Thiaw impressed against them in Europe. These are players Howe personally watched hurt his team. That appears to be his scouting process. Watch a game, get beaten, sign the player.
Ashworth and Mitchell would never have approved these deals. Elanga for that price would have been vetoed. Wissa at his age would have been dismissed immediately. Ramsey after serious injuries and declining output would not have made the shortlist. This is why clubs use sporting directors. Managers see the present. Directors protect the future.
The knock-on effect has been brutal. To meet PSR rules, Newcastle sold Minteh and Elliot Anderson. One was a rising star. The other was an academy product fans were promised would never be sacrificed again. Both were sold because of earlier poor spending decisions. Howe had other sale options but chose to protect senior players and sacrifice youth.
If Newcastle had kept those players, they would not have needed to spend huge sums on replacements who already look questionable. Barnes, now 27, is stuck behind Gordon and losing value every season. Joelinton is declining while Miley improves week by week. The choice between sentiment and ruthless planning is coming, and history suggests Howe will choose loyalty.
Unity matters. Culture matters. But neither should excuse bad recruitment. The best clubs combine togetherness with hard decisions. Newcastle have not done that.
Paul Mitchell was right. The strategy is not fit for purpose. Eddie Howe is an excellent coach. He has lifted the club. But he is not a sporting director. Handing him over £240 million without strong oversight was a gamble. Right now, it looks like a very expensive one.
