If Eddie Howe had got the signings he really wanted, how would the Newcastle United team now look?
I don’t need to tell you just how many players United are linked with.
You only need to look at the desperation across the media, as they run stories every day that they know are complete nonsense. Either invented by themselves, or simply copied from others who have made them up.
So when looking at the Newcastle United team we could potentially have had, I am not going to consider every single player that has been linked with NUFC these past four and a half years. With basically anybody and everybody linked during that time, I would pretty much be picking from all the top players in the world!
For example, I am not going to be considering whether Mbappe plays up front, nor am I wondering whether I should Lamine Yamal gets a game.
Indeed, I am not even considering the likes of say Mbeumo and Cunha, where not for a minute do I believe Newcastle United actively tried to sign them.
Instead, I am limiting myself to a relatively small group of players who at least to me, Eddie Howe clearly wanted and the club definitely tried to sign on his wishes.
Though whether the club hierarchy actually did the best possible job of moving early enough and/or doing enough to try and sign them, is debatable.
The Newcastle United team that could have been if Eddie Howe had got his preferred signings:
James Trafford
Tino Livramento, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall
Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Elliot Anderson
Hugo Ekitike, Joao Pedro, Anthony Gordon
Five of this Newcastle United team don’t need any explaining, as Tino, Hall, Tonali, Bruno and Gordon are still currently at St James’ Park.
Whilst Elliot Anderson would of course also still be at St James’ Park, if not for an absolute shambles from the Newcastle United owners and the people they had helping to run the club (Darren Eales and Amanda Staveley). Who allowed that PSR crisis to develop and the forced sales of Anderson and Minteh as a result.
The others
As for the five others in that Newcastle United team named above, I don’t think there is any doubt that Eddie Howe wanted these players.
James Trafford
The young goalkeeper is one of a number of players that Eddie Howe has pursued across a number of transfer windows, a considerable period of time.
The latest time of course was last summer (2025), Eddie Howe having told the Newcastle United owners that signings had to be made ASAP. Get his top targets in before other clubs could act and also to give Howe and the new signings (and the existing NUFC squad) the maximum amount of time to prepare for this hugely challenging 2025/26 season.
It was widely reported that a deal had all been agreed and that the Newcastle United owners only had to give the go ahead. Yet early last summer they dithered, with Manchester City instead swooping in and signing Trafford.
Abdukodir Khusanov
Not many of us had heard of him at the time but he is now a first choice defender for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
In January 2025 it emerged that Newcastle United had a deal all sorted for the then Lens defender.
Only 20 at the time and Eddie Howe identifying him as the perfect signing, able to play centre-back and right full-back. Instead he signed for Manchester City as they swooped in to take advantage, with the Newcastle United owners feeling they had to wait until the summer 2025 transfer window to sign him, due to the club’s PSR position at the time.
It was all very public the pursuit of the then Palace defender, over a considerable period of time. As to exactly how many bids were made and for how much, that is an unknown. However, clearly Eddie Howe wanted the England star, but the United hierarchy weren’t able to deliver him.
Hugo Ekitike
In January 2022, Eddie Howe identified a then 19 year old Ekitike as a striker he definitely wanted, even though he had by that point played only a handful of games for Reims. The forward ended up going to PSG in summer 2022 in preference to Newcastle United. Further interest continued and indeed rumours of bids but Ekitike went to Germany for regular first team football. Last summer Eddie Howe initiated the latest bid but with the club owners at that time (July 2025) refusing to let Liverpool sign Alexander Isak, the scousers went and signed him. I have no doubt Newcastle United would have succeeded in signing Hugo Ekitike at that point, if they had dealt properly with the Alexander Isak situation. If allowing Liverpool to then sign Isak, no doubt the scousers would then have not interfered once Newcastle United had a bid accepted for Ekitike. What a mess and it was Eddie Howe and the NUFC who suffered, due to incompetence of those running/owning the club.
Joao Pedro
Newcastle United were reported to have had their first bid turned down for Joao Pedro, by Watford. At the time, Pedro was only 20.
The interest clearly never ended for Eddie Howe and with Joao Pedro showing he could perform in the Premier League at a high level after joining Brighton.
Moving on to summer 2025 and at the end of June, Newcastle United widely reported to have had a £50m offer turned down by Brighton. The striker instead signing for Chelsea in early July 2025. Joao Pedro said he was always going to sign for Chelsea but of course that is what all players say once they sign for any club.
Like all transfer dealings we never know for sure what exactly happened, but I can’t help thinking that if the Newcastle United hierarchy had acted quicker and more decisively last summer, then the likes of Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike, as well as James Trafford, could all now be in this current Newcastle United team.
What I think is beyond dispute is that the current Newcastle United team would have looked very different, if Eddie Howe had seen his preferred signings delivered by the NUFC owners.