2023 Summer transfer window - hopes, needs, expectations and rumours.

[Jon Crofts]

Al Nassr have apparently offered Diaby a shit load of filthy oil money today.

[AV84]

Al Nassr have apparently offered Diaby a shit load of filthy oil money today.

Aren't they banned from signing anyone?

[Steve67]

Interesting that Harvey Barnes still hasn't gone anywhere.  Is he the second choice in case the likes of Villa and the barcodes don't get their first choices in?

[AV84]

Interesting that Harvey Barnes still hasn't gone anywhere.  Is he the second choice in case the likes of Villa and the barcodes don't get their first choices in?

Lots of places saying Newcastle can't buy until they sell. Saint-Maximin specifically seems to the be player they want to offload. Luckily for them there's a PIF Saudi club interested in paying them for him. Nothing suspicious there.

As far as Barnes goes, I think we were interested to a degree but not enough to make a move. Newcastle have dragged it out so long now that you'd have to think if we really wanted him we'd have tried to make use of that delay.

[Smithy]

*Tin foil hat on* Am I thinking a bit too deeply when I say PIF might be using those Saudi clubs not only to establish their domestic league but to weaken Newcastle's Premier League rivals?  If Newcastle can't spend any more money due to FFP, the next best option for them is to throw spanners into the works of their rivals' plans?

Well, more like have one of their Saudi clubs buy the target player because Newcastle can’t spend any money due to FFP, then loan the player to Newcastle.

I've been waiting for this to happen since the moment they started buying players who are not quite past their peak.  Neves, Kante, Jota - could all do a job for a year if loaned back to a Prem club.  A bit like Lampard's "loan" to Man City when he signed for New York.

[ASHTONVILLA]

I'd take St Maximin off their hands. Very good player.

[PeterWithesShin]

Time to stop messing around. Sign Diaby, sign Doku. We can use both. Actually sign Barnes as well. And Saint-Maximin. If our owners really are rich and serious, sign them all and stop fannying around!

[paul_e]

St maximin is from the same production line as nzogbia, bolasie and adama traore and would have a similar impact for us, massively overated player.

[Malandro]

Time to stop messing around. Sign Diaby, sign Doku. We can use both. Actually sign Barnes as well. And Saint-Maximin. If our owners really are rich and serious, sign them all and stop fannying around!

Now we are talking!

Eff the effers!

[Malandro]

I’d like to see any team stop a Villa side with Diaby, Doku, Barnes, Saint-Maxmin, N’Zogbia, Bolasie, and Adama in it.
We really do need to buy up land past the Witton.

[PeterWithesShin]

Adama is on a free, get him in as well!!

[Dave]

*Tin foil hat on* Am I thinking a bit too deeply when I say PIF might be using those Saudi clubs not only to establish their domestic league but to weaken Newcastle's Premier League rivals?  If Newcastle can't spend any more money due to FFP, the next best option for them is to throw spanners into the works of their rivals' plans?

Well, more like have one of their Saudi clubs buy the target player because Newcastle can’t spend any money due to FFP, then loan the player to Newcastle.

I've been waiting for this to happen since the moment they started buying players who are not quite past their peak.  Neves, Kante, Jota - could all do a job for a year if loaned back to a Prem club.  A bit like Lampard's "loan" to Man City when he signed for New York.

Really don't buy it.

I think LeonW has this correct, and if I were a Newcastle fan I'd be more worried about all the money PIF are throwing at the Saudi league than pleased. My gut feeling is they've seen the constraints that are there in the established structures and have decided "fuck it, we'll have our own structure then". And right now, if they could throw a bundle of cash at a brilliant player to go somewhere, they'd park him at Al-Ittihad over Newcastle.

Look at it this way - if they wanted Neves or Kante in Newcastle's midfield, they'd probably just put them there rather than spending similar money on Tonali to play the same position, no?

I'm not saying that no Saudi-based player will ever end up at Newcastle, it's perfectly possible. I just don't think that "send a ready-made supply of players to Saudi Arabia in case Newcastle need them" is a conspiracy theory that makes any sense at all.

[pauliewalnuts]

Even the premier league would be sharp enough to stamp down on that sort of arrangement straight away.

Newcastle seem to be having to play by ffp rules hence then not going nuts in the market.

I just don’t think there’s any room for anyone else to do a Man City these days. Nowhere near as easy. 

[Dave]

I'd take St Maximin off their hands. Very good player.

He's their modern Ben Arfa, or their current version of our Bertrand Traore. Someone who does three things per game which make you really excited and then you realise they've not actually done anything to help you win a football match since they won goal of the month at the back end of last season.

Traore scores about twice as regularly for us as Saint-Maximin does for Newcastle. 

Who knows, maybe he's a Messi being stifled by Bruce and Howe and Emery is what he needs. But nothing he's actually done at Newcastle suggests he'd get in our team over Bailey or Traore, let alone the two players we* want to sign to be better than both of them. 

*Sexual Ealing aside.

[pauliewalnuts]

Spot on.

Saint-Maximin is another Traore.