A review and a look back at the signings made since the club’s takeover in 2021.

The £300 million takeover in October 2021 brought new life to Newcastle United and in that time, the club have made many signings with the newly found freedom and today we are going to look back at that and give a review of those newcomers and look at the impact they have had since coming in.

Three transfer windows have passed since the takeover and by looking at the signings that have been made so far and ranking them in terms of impact they have had, it can show what needs to be done in the upcoming window. Within this article we will be focusing on permanent first team signings only.
January 2022 was the first transfer window the new owners of the club had, with 4 permanent signings through the door and one loan signing, looking back at that window a year down the line showed a very strong opening window from the board with a real sign of intent from them spending a total of £91.9 million.

1. Kieran Trippier
Trippier was the first signing through the door in January 2022, £13.5 million from Atletico Madrid. Starting week in week out being one of the best players at the club and a real fan favourite, for a first signing, you can’t really get much better than Tripps. The quality of his deliveries from that right hand side, advancing so far forward from full back but being the first one back to defend down the other side makes him one of the first names on the team sheet each week. Being a regular captain for the club whenever Lascelles is absent from the starting 11, he possesses so much quality on and off the ball that this signing must go straight in towards the top.
Transfer Rating – A-

2. Chris Wood
The big Kiwi from Burnley cost the club £27 million and was the second signing the club made in January 2022. At the time, the club was without a real recognized striker barring Callum Wilson who was struggling with injuries at the time, so the club acknowledged they needed a striker and got their man. Although he didn’t have the impact that was needed in terms of goals, it was a very clever signing taking him from then relegation rivals Burnley which did see them take the drop down to the Championship and save themselves in the process. Wood was loaned out to Nottingham Forest in January 2023 with a £15 million to buy clause in that contract. Overall good business from the club but they have ultimately lost out on the money they spent.
Transfer Rating – C-

3. Bruno Guimaraes
“We’ve got Bruno in the middle” Bruno Guimaraes attained cult status on Tyneside almost instantaneously, being the engine in the middle of the field being able to create seemingly anything from nothing and always having that moment of magic in him. Signing from Lyon for £37.9 million and seeing his current transfer value being upwards of £80 million, it is very clear to see the great bit of business NUFC did to get Bruno. 3 goals and 3 assists this season so far and 5 goals and 1 assist last season in the prem from midfield shows just how valuable he is to Eddie Howe’s team.
Transfer Rating – A+

4. Dan Burn
The big man from Blyth signed from Brighton and Hove Albion for £13.5 million as the final permanent signing from the club in that window. Signing as a centre back as competition for Schar and Lascelles saw him end up being deployed across most of the back line for the club for the remainder of that season and this current one. A player who gets the job done and never shy’s away from a tackle are the reasons Dan Burn has turned into a real fan favourite among the Geordies. A versatile big man who can play centre back or left back, this was a good bit of business from the club and the fans have taken him on board massively.
Transfer Rating – B-

Summer 2022 gave the club 3 months to really spend some money and get in the reinforcements they had highlighted they needed since coming in. Being the biggest window the club has had since the takeover in terms of money spent, the summer transfer window built on the foundations of the previous window to allow the club to have had the season they’ve had so far. Another 4 permanent signings and a free transfer brought in in September, the total spend from the club in the summer window was £122.4 million.

1. Matt Targett
Initially signing for the club in January 2022 on a short term loan deal, the club made him their first permanent signing of the summer window from Aston Villa for £15 million, having made 16 appearances in his first spell on loan last season and 11 this season due to a spell on the sidelines through injury throughout January and February of this year, Matt Targett has certainly done the job that was required of him and when fit, is the clubs starting left back having been ever reliable and consistent. Injuries have haltered his progress this season and saw him miss out in the League Cup final but now getting back to full fitness and watching from the bench in the meantime, I’d say he’s been a good signing overall.
Transfer Rating – C+

2. Nick Pope
Before the signing of Nick Pope in the summer, Martin Dubravka was the man between the sticks, and although did a fine job, the direction the club were wanting to head in, the fans knew they needed someone new. £10.4 million from relegated Burnley has turned out to be exactly that but for an absolute steal. Ever reliable and in amongst the England national team, Eddie Howe has himself a fantastic goalkeeper who has 12 clean sheets in the league this season, joint top of the charts alongside fellow England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. Being apart of one of the strongest defenses in the league with his shot stopping abilities being a massive part of that leaves this signing as one of the best.
Transfer Rating – A-

3. Sven Botman
The dutchman signed from Lille for £33.3 million and at just 23 years old is a player that can keep improving game by game and turn himself into one of the leagues best. Playing 24 times this season with most of them appearances being a full 90 minutes, similarly to Pope, he can boast that he is apart of one of the best defenses in the league and has formed a great partnership alongside Fabian Schar.
Transfer Rating – B+

4. Alexander Isak
Isak signed from Real Sociedad for a whopping £63 million in August of 2022 as a real marquee signing from the club and what would be the final signing of that transfer window. Racking up 6 goals in just 10 appearances after spending a lengthy amount of time on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury that ruled him out of action from October to January. Prior to the injury, he had scored twice in three games and then scored on his first match back after a long injury. A player with bags of talent and a real eye for goal, although his time in black and white hasn’t been perfect yet, I think if he stays fit for a period, then the St. James loyal will see just how good he can be.
Transfer Rating – B-

January 2023 saw the third transfer window the board have had and is the most recent one at this time. With a cup final being within touching distance and a great campaign so far, there wasn’t much that needed to be done from the club at this time. They still spent the money in this window but highlighted a key area they wanted to improve in and did what they felt they had to do. The total spend of this window was £40 million.

1. Anthony Gordon
The young Evertonian winger was the one and only signing the club made in the January transfer window this season, costing the club £40 million for his signature. He joined the club having made 16 appearances for Everton this season and scoring 3. Since joining Newcastle United, he has made 4 appearances and is still yet to taste a win in black and white. He picked up an ankle injury in March and will be out until at least April. Although he is only young, he has played in the league for a few seasons now and knows it well, and once he has a good run in the team, he will show why the £40 million was spent on him, but at this moment in time it’s fair to say that he hasn’t had much chance to show that of yet.
Transfer Rating – C-

How would you review and rate the signings made by the board since the takeover – let us know on our social media and follow us for latest North East Updates – https://linktr.ee/northeastupdates