Newcastle United’s transfer window is nothing new

The closure of the transfer window is quickly approaching. And every year it’s the same article, written by every single Newcastle United blog, and sports website. The titles run something like this (in general):

Newcastle United still have work to do this summer.

Damn. Nice article titles bruh. Really makes me want to hear the same broken record I heard last year. And the year before. And probably every year before that for the past five years.

But the thing is, we know that the work isn’t going to be done, so why even say it out loud? Manchester United still have work to do, but they’re gonna do it. Fulham have a lot of work to do to prepare for the Premier League but by God are they getting it done.

In spite of all this, knowing that the club isn’t going to act on the problems it has created for itself doesn’t make me mad anymore, it just makes me worry about the players. The club has always tried to fight the idea that it is a stepping stone to greater things, but with the current buy and sell strategy that must be employed by Rafa that stigmatization doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon.

If we have players that can later be sold for a huge profit, there is nothing to really stop the club from accepting those offers to allow itself to buy multiple more players at cheaper prices but in larger quantities. It’s a rinse and repeat effort, and if you want to read more about it (do you really?) then you can check out our very own piece on the subject written by our very own Elijah Newsome. There is no TL;DR for it, read at your own risk.

Players likely do not see Newcastle United as the destination, only a pitstop. If they can help generate success — which means safety instead of relegation — at the club then they can potentially move to a better club for a higher price, and likely higher wages. The grass is never greener on Tyneside, it’s always greener somewhere else.

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

The idea that the club can sustain itself off of this model is not only ludicrous, but it’s dangerous. It hurts the image of the club in the eyes of the very players we’re trying to lure here.

No one wants to play for a club that isn’t willing to fight to surround itself with the greatest talent in the world. You don’t win the Premier League by shopping at a discount store. I’m not saying to make regular stops at Louis Vuitton, but Michael Kors isn’t a bad option. Both are expensive, but one is less expensive than the other. Either way, you’re gonna spend a lot of money, just spend wisely.

All the talk of Newcastle United being a big club is big talk to lure players over. But they’re not stupid, and they’re realizing that Newcastle United isn’t prepared to fight for what the fans or even what the players want. The Premier League trophy. A spot in the Champions League.

So I think it’s time to stop writing about how bad Newcastle is with money. It’s something we already knew. Let’s talk about how bad they are with their players.