Newcastle transfers: Eddie Howe’s dream XI if PSR didn’t exist includes FIVE new signings
The Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules mean clubs cannot just splash huge amounts of their cash while retaining saleable players already on their books.
For Newcastle, if that were possible, they’d be in a great spot, given their owners are some of the richest in the world.
But what would the Magpies’ team look like if PSR was not a thing?
Here, we have taken a look at what Eddie Howe’s side would look like if that were the case.
GK: James Trafford
A player who already looks to be coming through the door, with Newcastle in talks with Burnley. If money were no object, it seems the Magpies would still be after Trafford.
The Burnley goalkeeper is seen as a future England No.1, and kept 29 Championship clean sheets last season, so he seems hard to pass up in any circumstances.
RB: Tino Livramento
Newcastle spent £40million on Livramento from Southampton in 2023.
He has since played 80 times for the Magpies, and they have no interest in seeing him go anywhere else, having reportedly set a dismissive £80million price tag for the right-back, amid interest from Manchester City.
CB: Marc Guehi
Last summer, Newcastle tried their best to convince Crystal Palace to sell England centre-back Guehi to them.
They tried with multiple offers, and with £70million being turned away, they left the scene.
That price would just have been a drop in the ocean for them, so with no financial rules hanging over their heads, there’d be little surprise if Newcastle snapped Guehi up.
CB: Giorgio Scalvini
Newcastle have recently been linked with Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini, being quoted £52million for his signing.
A 21-year-old Europa League winner is exactly the type of player Newcastle would look to flex their muscles over.
They did the same with Sven Botman after their PIF takeover, spending £35million on a player who’d won Ligue 1 a year prior, but he’s since had injury problems.
LB: Lewis Hall
In Livramento and Hall, Newcastle know they have a full-back pairing who could have success for them for the next decade.
Hall is only 20 and is already nailing down his left-back spot after a £28million move from Chelsea, with five assists in 27 Premier League games last season.
He’s also shown maturity in a couple of games for England, and might soon be one of the main options for the Three Lions to call upon at left-back.
CM: Bruno Guimaraes
One of the statement signings at Newcastle after their PIF takeover, Guimaraes was signed for around £40million in 2022.
He has since risen to become one of the most influential midfielders in the Premier League, playing over 100 games and having a hand in more than 40 goals in the competition.
Now captain at Newcastle, no matter who comes knocking – with Manchester City and Arsenal among those linked – there seems no way the Magpies will let their superstar go.
CM: Sandro Tonali
One of the most expensive signings ever made by Newcastle, when they paid £60million to AC Milan for Tonali, they got an experienced player from one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
He had success playing alongside Guimaraes last season, with the Brazilian hailing his team-mate’s skill after a win over Chelsea, in particular.
At just 25, Tonali could yet grow into an even more influential player for Newcastle.
CAM: Anthony Gordon
With some star names being added to the front line, Gordon will drop back to attacking midfield, a position he’s played more than 20 times, scoring 13 goals and assisting two more.
Gordon has been linked with some big clubs of late, Premier League champions Liverpool posing the biggest threat.
But if Newcastle don’t need to sell him, they simply won’t do, and he’ll continue to star, after 45 direct goal contributions already to his name in 106 Magpies appearances.
RW: Bryan Mbeumo
Newcastle have just spent £55million to bring Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga through the door, but if money was no object, they’d have gone a little bit further for Mbeumo.
Indeed, they were linked with the Brentford forward, along with the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham, earlier in the summer.
But it’s become clear that Mbeumo only wants United, though the Bees want £70million for him at the moment, and the Red Devils aren’t currently going that high.
With the money available to Newcastle, that move could have been an easy one.
ST: Alexander Isak
One of the most sought after players in Europe, after 54 goals in 86 Premier League games for Newcastle, Isak is clearly one of the Premier League’s best players.
The Magpies have known that since he arrived, and though Liverpool are willing to make him the most expensive player in British transfer history, his club are adamant they won’t sell him.
Keeping one of the best strikers in the Premier League will be vital for Newcastle’s chances of climbing further up the ranks in both England and Europe.
LW: Hugo Ekitike
This summer, Newcastle are attempting to add Eintracht Frankfurt striker to Isak in their attack. Ekitike was directly involved in 34 goals in all competitions last season, and that sort of return would make for a very potent attacking duo.
Frankfurt have turned down the Magpies’ £70million approach for Ekitike, who looks likely to instead go to Liverpool.
But in a world with no financial rules, Newcastle could simply overpay to create one of the best attacks in the league, pushing Ekitike out left – a position he’s played a handful of times, but would surely be ok with if it meant sharing the field with Isak.
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