Of all the Premier League teams, Newcastle United were certainly one of the busiest in the summer transfer window, bringing in no fewer than nine new recruits. Whilst other top flight teams were equally as tireless in their pursuit of new additions, with Liverpool and Manchester United standing out due to their headline-grabbing expenditure, Newcastle’s dealings have been a particular source of interest.
After a number of seasons of modest transfer activity under the ownership of Mike Ashley, with new arrivals coming in their ones and twos – much to the chagrin of the Toon Army – the controversial business magnate appears to have conducted a much-welcomed u-turn in his transfer policy this summer. A tenth-placed finish last season was no disaster, though it was far from being a memorable campaign for the Magpies either with early elimination from both domestic cup competitions and losses in half of their league games.
His uncharacteristically gratuitous money spending seems to suggest a belated acknowledgement on Ashley’s behalf of the need for a new lease of life at Newcastle, with the idea being that a freshly remodelled squad may lead to happier times for the long-suffering fans this season.
However, spending money wisely, rather than freely, is the key to success, and upon closer inspection Newcastle have been glaringly myopic in their purchases. The underrated Jack Colback, signed for a free transfer from arch-rivals Sunderland, adds quality to the midfield, while World Cup semi-finalist Daryl Janmaat brings depth to a defence which conceded 59 league goals last season, only three fewer than relegated Norwich City.
Useful though these two additions may turn out to be, what Newcastle needed most was a proven goalscorer, and in this regard they have crucially failed to deliver.
Such a failure may be understandable as a single, isolated occurrence. Identifying a player for a specific position who is affordable, suited to the team and a realistic target is not easy and even not possible in every transfer window, especially for a team who lack the clout of the Premier League’s big spenders.
In Newcastle’s case, however, it has been a recurring problem ever since the departure of Demba Ba to Chelsea 18 months ago. Although this may not seem like a long time, the club has had four transfer windows to find an adequate replacement for Ba, with no success. In his one full season at Newcastle, the Senegalese scored 16 league goals in a campaign which saw the Magpies come close to qualifying for the Champions League and manager Alan Pardew consequently being named Premier League Manager of the Year.
Since Ba’s exit, and with no proven goalscorer coming in as his replacement, Newcastle have not come close to a top four finish.
It must be noted that Newcastle have in fact signed four strikers this summer, which at least suggests that the club’s hierarchy is aware that such a problem exists. Moreover, last season’s loan signing of Loic Remy from Queen’s Park Rangers, who was excellent for the Magpies, shows that the club is capable of attracting top-class striking talent. However, failing to make the signing permanent was a huge disappointment, and arguably of no fault of the club’s when Liverpool and eventually Chelsea came calling.
The attacking quartet of Siem de Jong, Ayoze Pérez, Emmanuel Riviere and Facundo Ferreyra which Newcastle opted for instead will not soften the blow of seeing the French international at a different club this season, and with no prior Premier League experience between them and unremarkable goalscoring records at their previous sides, the prospect of one component of Newcastle’s new-look strikeforce emulating Remy’s feats last season is unlikely.
In the grander scheme of things, Newcastle’s shortcomings in the transfer market hint at an uncomfortable truth for the Toon Army. They are a big club with a fanatical fanbase and an impressive stadium who, since Ashley’s takeover in 2007, seem content with stagnation and mid-table mediocrity. The selling of the club’s best players has become commonplace.
Though Pardew is one of the Premier League’s longest serving managers, there seems to be no definite indication of where the club is heading or how it is progressing, with the impressive fifth-placed finish in Pardew’s award-winning season three years ago looking more like a fluke, a freak accident, than a sign of better things to come.
Ultimately, it is perhaps a recent departure, rather than an arrival, which symbolises Newcastle’s striking problems and the club’s deeper malaise. After being with the club for nineteen years, loyal servant and fan favourite Shola Ameobi was released by Newcastle in the summer. Though the striker was never prolific for the Magpies, some of his most memorable appearances in the black-and-white jersey came in the Champions League. His equalising goal at the Nou Camp and his brace against Bayer Leverkusen happened during the twilight days of Newcastle’s last noteworthy era, at a time when the club was still considered a force to be reckoned with and serious contenders for qualification to Europe’s elite club competition.
Ameobi was the last relic of these happier times, the last remaining Newcastle footballer with memories of playing Champions League football at St James’ Park.
While Ameobi has moved on, Newcastle remain stuck in the mires of mediocrity, with a return to the heights of European football nothing more than a pipedream.