As the January transfer window looms, there is a lot of regret about what Newcastle United did and did not do during the summer.
At this moment in time, it looks like Newcastle made a lot of mistakes heading into the 2023/24 campaign. Tino Livramentois the only summer signing to impress. Sandro Tonali is suspended and Harvey Barnes is injured, while Lewis Hall is struggling for minutes.
In the short-term, it has proven to be a bit of a disastrous window for the Magpies. That perception might change in the future, but it is difficult to be too positive in the present.
While the injury crisis was crippling, Newcastle did not do enough to brace themselves for Champions League football. The club looked towards the future rather than bring in ready-made stars, which is the right or wrong way to do business depending on who you ask. Personally, I think the club went about things the right way and what has happened since then has been unfortunate.
But one player who I do regret the club missing out on was James Maddison. He joined Tottenham Hotspur instead, and has been an exceptional addition to Ange Postecoglou’s side.
It was majorly disappointing to lose out to Tottenham, and former Premier Leaguedefender Jamie Carragher believes it is because the attacking midfielder found playing in London more appealing – and believes this is an issue that Newcastle are going to have to deal as they continue to be hamstrung by financial fair play.
Jamie Carragher comments on Newcastle missing out on James Maddison
In an article for the Telegraph, Carragher has wrote about Newcastle’s summer recruitment and how targets such as Declan Rice and James Maddison went elsewhere.
“When Declan Rice decided to leave West Ham, I doubt he gave any thought to joining Newcastle, especially when Arsenal came in for him,” he wrote.
“Newcastle were also interested in James Maddison. They bid for him when he was at Leicester City, but ultimately he was more attracted to playing in London. That is not intended to be disrespectful, but it shows that the tip of the Premier League pyramid remains unchanged despite the Saudi investment.”
Newcastle are being hamstrung by FFP
Was Maddison more interested in living in London? That seems to depend who you ask. For example, Sky Sports’ Pete Graves reported earlier in the year that Maddison was actually really keen on moving to Newcastle, but wages were the issue. It was also reported that Newcastle thought Sandro Tonali was a more imperative signing, which is why they did not go all out for Maddison.
What Carragher has said about Newcastle’s recruitment since the change of ownership is correct in some respect, however. The new investment has given us the chance to sign top players, but there is still a long way to go before we can challenge the Premier League’s elite in the transfer market.
That is largely down to financial fair play, which has stopped Newcastle from lavishly splashing the cash like Chelsea and Manchester City did back in the day.
With increased revenue from sponsors and consistent Champions League football, Newcastle might be able to get to that level. But until then they will have to be cautious when it comes to spending, which will mean the elite players are always probably going to go elsewhere.
That is what happened with Maddison, much to our disappointment.
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