Newcastle United need depth in attacking areas to continue to keep apace with rivals like Chelsea after Todd Boehly declared the Blues were a ‘force to be reckoned with’
Ciaran covers Newcastle United for the Journal and ChronicleLive. Originally from Galway in the west of Ireland, Ciaran joined us from the Manchester Evening News, where he was Manchester
United writer, in February, 2019. Ciaran previously wrote a book on Jose Mourinho entitled ‘The Rise of the Translator’.
It proved to be Newcastle United’s final win of the season. Three precious points that went a long way to securing Champions League football.
Yet the scoreline did not necessarily tell the full story of this 2-0 win against Chelsea. Newcastle were a goal up and a man up at half-time, but the momentum of the high-noon showdown changed after the break.
Eddie Howe was well-aware of that and repeatedly attempted to affect the game from the touchline, whether it was switching formation or making substitutions.
However, Newcastle, who had a couple of injuries to contend with, lacked genuine game-changers in reserve on an afternoon goalkeepers Martin Dubravka and John Ruddy were among those named on the bench.
Newcastle United unmoved on Alexander Isak transfer despite ‘growing feeling’ in Liverpool
Newcastle United sent Hugo Ekitike transfer message by Eintracht Frankfurt star – ‘we talked’
Newcastle managed to hold out – Nick Pope made a couple of crucial saves before the black-and-whites doubled their advantage late on – but this win still felt like a reminder of the depth needed to compete, particularly now that Howe’s side are fighting on four fronts.
Newcastle have since spent £55m on Anthony Elanga and the black-and-whites have had a club-record opening offer for Eintracht Frankfurt star Hugo Ekitike turned down.
Howe may already have Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes to call upon, but the Newcastle boss clearly wants more firepower at a time when the Magpies’ rivals have all strengthened in forward areas.
Take Chelsea, for instance, who finished three points above Newcastle last season. The Blues have already signed Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Estevao this summer.
The quartet, for context, could end up costing around £190.5m if various add-ons are met. They join Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto in Chelsea’s stable of forwards while Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson are still on the club’s books – even if there are admittedly doubts about the pair’s long-term futures.
Chelsea certainly showcased their attacking might after putting PSG to the sword with three goals in the first half of the Club World Cup final on Sunday and chairman Todd Boehly was not exactly downplaying expectations after being asked if the Blues could now challenge for the Premier League.
“The boys have shown that they are a force to be reckoned with,” he told talkSPORT. “And that’s what we were hoping for.”
Chelsea are not the only club with such ambitions. Arsenal are set to go big on Viktor Gyokeres. Manchester City have recruited aggressively in each of the last two windows. Liverpool have broken the British transfer record to sign Florian Wirtz and the champions have as good as declared an interest in Isak, who Newcastle do not want to lose.
Keeping apace with these sides requires investment as well as the elite coaching and togetherness that have been at the heart of Newcastle’s rise under Howe.
No wonder Newcastle went all in for Ekitike, who is also on Liverpool’s radar. The big question now is will the Magpies return to the table after Liverpool threw an almighty spanner in the works?