‘Newcastle, Howe set for new transfer defeat after Celtic thrashing without Isak’
Newcastle’s troublesome transfer window has suffered another major blow in the midst of a heavy pre-season defeat to Celtic that saw Alexander Isak left out.
There was lots of positivity around St James’ Park following Newcastle’s Champions League qualification at the end of 2024/25, but that has dissipated somewhat due to their recent struggles in the transfer market.
Football Insider revealed in June that Newcastle are expected to make up to three major signings this summer due to being in a better position regarding profit and sustainability rules (PSR), yet they have missed out on some major targets over the last few weeks.
Brentford attacker Bryan Mbeumo is nearing a move to Man United despite interest from Newcastle, while the Magpies were targeting a move for Jarell Quansah, but the Liverpool centre-back instead joined Bayer Leverkusen.
Football Insider revealed on 4 July that Howe was “devastated” to have missed out on signing Joao Pedro, after their £50m bid was rejected by Brighton before he joined top-five rivals Chelsea, and they could now miss out on another top target while their struggles have been compounded after a heavy pre-season loss.
Newcastle to miss out on Yoane Wissa from Brentford
Brentford star Mbeumo is due to undergo a medical with Man United this weekend [The Athletic], and that sale is set to have a direct impact on yet another target of the Magpies’.
BBC Sport revealed on Thursday, 17 July, that Newcastle were expected to accelerate their interest in fellow Bees star Yoane Wissa after Liverpool overtook them in the race to sign Hugo Ekitike, but Sky Sports (18 July) have claimed that Brentford are “highly unlikely” to sell both Mbeumo and Wissa this summer.
They state that United may have potentially moved to ramp up their efforts to sign Mbeumo in the last week due to Newcastle intensifying their interest in Wissa, and so the Tyneside club now look set for yet another defeat in the summer market.
The Magpies are seemingly also facing a challenge with one of their existing players in Isak, who was not in the squad for 4-0 pre-season friendly defeat to Scottish giants Celtic on Saturday (19 July), with the club insisting that his minutes are being managed and his absence was unconnected to his future [The Athletic].
Football Insider recently revealed that Newcastle’s chiefs have accused Liverpool of making an overtly public approach for Isak, which has likely unsettled him, and so Howe also has in-house problems right now, as well as major transfer issues.
Newcastle must urgently land more transfer targets
Football finance expert Dan Plumley recently told Football Insider that Newcastle are still in a “tricky spot” regarding finances, as they need to bolster their squad depth but could do with selling players to further ease PSR concerns before that happens.
They have routinely missed out on their top targets so far, which will irk Howe and their supporters who were promised a fruitful window after qualifying for the Champions League last season.
Newcastle must still hold out hope of having a successful end to their summer business though, and they can start building toward the new season in a positive sense by signing some other high-profile targets as soon as is possible.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 136 | 18 | 13 |
Former scout Mick Brown recently told Football Insider that Conor Gallagher is open to a move to Newcastle amid interest in his signature, while he has also revealed to Football Insider that the Magpies are in a race with Spurs to sign Harvey Elliott.
Sky Sports have revealed Newcastle’s three-man defensive target list, with Juventus‘ Nicolo Savona, Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini and Valencia man Cesar Tarrega all of interest, and so the club must also soon move to pursue the standout player of those three if they are serious about competing next term.