‘God forbid’ – Newcastle record holder makes £100m transfer claim ahead of summer window

Tue 1 May 2018 20:10, UK

Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Steve Harper has claimed that a transfer kitty of £100million is not beyond the realm of reality for the club this summer and that it would help the club push for a top seven finish.

The Magpies have been notorious for a lack of money spent in recent transfer windows, having been outspent by fellow promoted sides Huddersfield Town and Brighton last summer, and without a permanent signing in the January market.

It all stems from owner Mike Ashley, who is reluctant to invest his own capital into the club, but Harper, who is a record holder on Tyneside for the longest serving player with 20 years with the Magpies, says that while breaking the top six is out of reach, a significant budget would help push the club up the table.

He told the Daily Star: “He (manager Rafael Benitez) needs to be backed, because if he is backed, the players he has brought in – the likes of Kenedy, [Martin] Dubravka – they’ve shown the quality and level that he wants to work with.

“If he is backed to the tune of, I don’t know, £50m, £100m – I don’t know what players are now – then I certainly think they are capable of moving up a couple of places in the table.

“You know what can be around the corner, but God forbid that happens because it doesn’t bear thinking about if he was to leave the football club.”

Football Insider verdict

While Harper is obviously trying to think positive ahead of the summer, Benitez will be lucky to get half of the numbers that the former shot stopper is talking about with Ashley in charge. What the club needs most is a change at the top but unfortunately for the Toon Army that is not looking likely right now. All they can do is cross their fingers that takeover talks are going on in the background and that Benitez can find some quality bargains, because otherwise it looks like it will be a tough summer when the transfer window opens. Still, miracles happen, and Newcastle will be hoping it happens to them.