What is happening, this is an absolute disaster for Newcastle United – Compared to the reality | OneFootball

I am writing this about Newcastle United in the early hours of Sunday 22 June 2025.

I thought I might as well make use of the fact that I can’t sleep.

No, it isn’t excitement about the new season now being less than eight weeks away now that is keeping me awake, not this time anyway.

Instead it is this extreme (for us Geordies on Tyneside!) heat that is so oppressive and keeping me from my sleep.

Anyways, I have had this in my mind for some days now and so the perfect opportunity to get it typed up and sent over to The Mag.

Newcastle United won a trophy three months ago. To win that trophy they had to beat Liverpool, Arsenal (Twice!), Brentford, Forest, Chelsea and AFC Wimbledon.

Newcastle United qualified for the 2024/25 Champions League thanks to finishing top five in the Premier League. Indeed, after beating Chelsea 2-0 and with two matches to play, the consensus amongst neutrals was that it looked very likely United would finish runners-up to Liverpool.

Newcastle United, ahead of the last two matches of the season when they ran out of steam a bit, the previous 28 matches in all competitions had seen Newcastle win 21 of them, draw one and lose only six.

Newcastle United have signed exciting Spanish teenage winger Antonito, against fierce competition from other major clubs, allegedly including Barcelona. Antonito has been one of the star players as Spain have now reached the semi finals of the Under 19 Euros.

Newcastle United have not sold any of their key players this month.

Newcastle United haven’t sold a single player so far this summer.

Newcastle United have all of their key players secured on long contracts, three years or more.

Newcastle United have Eddie Howe in charge.

Newcastle United have seen Paul Mitchell announced as leaving, to a backdrop of claims that there had been a power struggle between the Sporting Director and Head Coach.

Newcastle United have Steve Nickson and Andy Howe (Eddie’s nephew who also worked on recruitment with him at Bournemouth) working on recruiting new first team additions. This pair at the club previous to Mitchell’s arrival, when Eddie Howe and Newcastle United made so many brilliant signings, such as Tonali, Isak, Hall, Livramento and so on.

Newcastle United first choice left-back Lewis Hall is reported to be making good progress and set to take part in official pre-season after missing the last couple of months of the season through injury.

Newcastle United classy central defender Sven Botman was rested in the final stages of the season to help him get over his injury issues and to help ensure he will be available for pre-season. The Dutch defender also reportedly set to do so.

Newcastle United young stars Tino Livramento and Will Osula both excelling at the Under 21 Euros, Tino into the semi-finals with England, Will and Denmark hoping to beat France tonight in their quarter-final.

What is happening, this is an absolute disaster for Newcastle United

With 15 days of the summer transfer window(s) having now passed, this is the reaction of some Newcastle fans with each passing day that doesn’t bring a first team signing.

The way some fans are going on, it is totally out of proportion compared to the reality.

You would honestly think to hear some people, that last season had been a shocker for Newcastle United. That we had lost all of our key players this month to rival clubs, that Eddie Howe had left and NUFC were now looking at a remaining squad of expensive over-waged layabouts who are a liability.

The reality is that as Newcastle United fans, we would all love to have seen a handful of exciting signings made already, vast amounts of money spent and first team contenders arriving.

However, this isn’t Football Manager or some other fantasy game, you can’t make everything happen at a touch of a button just because you want it to be so.

Whenever Newcastle United have been in a position financially/PSR-wise to make major moves in the transfer market, Eddie Howe and NUFC have delivered brilliantly. That opening January 2022 window, summer 2022 (and Gordon arriving January 2023), summer 2023.

Why wouldn’t you trust the same to happen this summer?

Everybody, including /especially Eddie Howe, knows that Newcastle United need extra quality players to come in.

However, money that is allowed to be spent is not limitless and United need to spend wisely, get the right ones in for both the short-term and the longer-term.

The way some Newcastle United fans go on, largely fuelled by nonsense in the media, you would think there was now some kind of crisis at St James’ Park.

The fans who cry on every single day about no major signings yet, they remind me of when I was a kid.

As a kid I would get money for my birthday, for Christmas, and I wouldn’t be able to settle until every penny had been spent. It was a real adrenaline rush having this cash and a bit like an addict, I couldn’t be calm until it was all gone. It didn’t really matter what it went on, just so long as it was all spent ASAP.

When the adrenaline rush had faded, you would then be looking at a pile of rubbish, plastic toys and so on, thinking why did I do that??? Why didn’t I listen to the adults and wait to spend it on something I really wanted.

This is how it feels to me now, a lot of Newcastle United fans would be happy, at least temporarily, if Eddie Howe and NUFC had already bought some players. No matter which players, just so long as bought somebody.

Then these same fans would be the first and most vocal ones to be calling Eddie Howe, if these signings proved to be not up to the job.

There could be any number of reasons as to why key targets haven’t been signed yet, I know as much as the rest of you.

The truth is that none of us will be able to judge this summer’s trading, until we see who Newcastle United have signed.

During Eddie Howe’s time at St James’ Park, Newcastle United have never spent big money on players in the first three weeks of June. The fact that NUFC move into a new financial year in nine days time could also prove to be a key moment, the same for many other clubs.

That doesn’t mean that I think no chance of Newcastle making a major signing or two this month, it is just I don’t think it is a disaster when I wake up (if I have been able to sleep…) each June morning and feel it is a nightmare that once again I find no new signing reported.