A blunt response from Eddie Howe that will no doubt spark a raging debate among the Newcastle United faithful between now and the end of this, frustrating, transfer window.
The question which prompted such a short response from the Magpies boss on Tuesday morning related to whether his side would be capable, financially, to sign both a central defender AND a right-winger before the week is out. At this stage, it looks like it will be a shiny new central defender and no new recruits at the top end of the pitch.
But is this the right call by those calling the shots in the boardrooms of St James’ Park? Chronicle Live assesses the lay of the land as the transfer window nears its end.
With a significant amount of attention pointed towards Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi in recent weeks, it certainly looks, at this stage, like a big-money defensive addition is far more likely than an attacking one. As of Tuesday morning, Newcastle had seen four proposals turned down for the England defender – but confidence remained over a deal finally being struck.
Should a right-winger not be sought between now and the end of August, Howe can quite easily point to the fact that further up the pitch he has trusted options at his disposal. Jacob Murphy has so far won the battle for a spot on the right of Newcastle’s attack, keeping counterpart Miguel Almiron out of the starting XI in the opening two Premier League clashes.
These two will likely continue going toe-to-toe for that singular starting spot and Howe will be fine with that. He trusts both attackers wholeheartedly and has proven capable of improving both in recent seasons. Murphy is the in-form pick after a strong pre-season, while Almiron has experience of enjoying purple patches in this setup.
Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth has presented a new dynamic, however, with Harvey Barnes coming off the bench and impressing out on the opposite flank. His introduction subsequently saw Anthony Gordon move from left to right and Newcastle’s strong end to the away clash with both players either side of Alexander Isak has caused a sudden clamour for that particular trio to be used from the outset going forward.
It is a valid point and one Howe has no doubt considered on a number of occasions. One negative, however, may be that having an option as exciting as Barnes available to impact stale games from the bench is a big asset to Howe and his coaching staff.
Elsewhere, there is now a need to consider new signing William Osula in this debate too. The former Sheffield United youngster, 21, has been an unused substitute in two tight Premier League contests so far but looked impressive during his St James’ Park debut in the Sela Cup.
Osula is predominantly seen as a centre-forward who will offer competition to Isak and Callum Wilson but the recent arrival has also been used out wide in previous seasons and is seen as a versatile addition to Newcastle’s attacking options. Howe has long craved forward additions who can slot in anywhere across the front line.
Then there is the emergence of Trevan Sanusi, 17, who shone over the summer and is expected to earn more minutes in the senior side going forward. Usually a left-sided option, he can also play on the right and is seen as a future first-team regular.
Fabian Schar remains sidelined through suspension, while Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles are ‘months away’ from returning, according to Howe. Emil Krafth has deputised without putting a foot wrong in recent games and is another who has vastly improved under Howe’s guidance.
The Swede has been partnered by Dan Burn in recent weeks, with the local lad looking drastically more at home at the heart of Newcastle’s defence as opposed to being used at left-back. That particular position was occupied by new signing Lloyd Kelly against Bournemouth but Lewis Hall remains a solid option going forward.
Many will look at the state of affairs mentioned above and believe adding one more defensive asset to that group both improves the first-team and turns a pretty frustrating window into a slightly better, if not brilliant, one.
We can debate all day as to whether Guehi is the right candidate for the amount of money being offered but he certainly improves Newcastle’s defence and ticks a lot of boxes for Howe, who has privately pushed for this deal to be concluded after weeks of testing negotiations.