Newcastle United may not have made any additions, but it was still a very different transfer deadline day to a year ago. The previous regime, after all, briefed as early as 10.50am on August 31 last year that the club's business was done after Newcastle broke 'all the rules' to sign Joe Willock from Arsenal. The midfielder was Newcastle's only signing in 2021 and Steve Bruce's attempts to bring in further reinforcements on loan were blocked.
In contrast, on Thursday, Newcastle were not totally closed off. Although Eddie Howe did not expect to be active, or to do any major business, the Magpies were still looking at potential deals right up until the final day of the window.
That ability to be nimble was crucial to Newcastle signing Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad last week. Newcastle had previously been in talks to buy another forward, Joao Pedro, from Watford and, at one point, ChronicleLive was told that discussions were 'moving well' but, crucially, they were 'not closed'.
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An agreement was not ultimately reached with Watford and Callum Wilson went on to suffer a hamstring issue in the 3-3 draw against Man City on August 21, which changed Newcastle's immediate focus a little when it came to the profile of attacker the Magpies were targeting. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the club's non-executive chairman, was in attendance for that game and although Howe was 'not sure' if that helped Newcastle in the final throes of the window, the Saudi left St James' Park with a 'good feeling'. Just a few days later, Newcastle smashed the club's transfer record to sign Isak.
Pedro, who was keen on a return to the Premier League with Newcastle, will stay put at Watford until at least January. Given how Newcastle previously attempted to resurrect moves for other long-term targets, such as Sven Botman and Hugo Ekitike, another push for the Brazilian in 2023 can't necessarily be ruled out just yet.
Regardless, bringing in more firepower had always been Howe's priority this summer and, after a move for Ekitike fell through early in the window, Newcastle looked at a number of young alternatives. Benjamin Sesko, for example, was a player Newcastle liked and ChronicleLive understands the Red Bull Salzburg star's camp thought the Magpies were a 'great club with people' they have a 'big respect for'. That comment sums up how Newcastle are now viewed by some of Europe's hottest prospects.
However, there was also a recognition that it was 'not the right moment' for Sesko, who agreed to move to RB Leipzig next summer, to move to the Premier League and Newcastle's interest was not thought to ever be that advanced. Isak was always Newcastle transfer committee's dream target, after all, and although a deal did not seem financially viable last month, crucially, the lines of communication were kept open and a compromise was eventually reached.
Newcastle still look a little light in reserve - even after Wednesday night's impressive performance at Anfield without Bruno Guimaraes, Jonjo Shelvey, Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson - but the emphasis has been on bringing in quality rather than quantity. There can be no doubt that the squad has been strengthened following the arrival of Isak, Sven Botman, Nick Pope and Matt Targett with an equal blend of Premier League proven players and foreign additions who can grow with the club.
Although Howe likes players with experience of playing in England, the Newcastle boss was much more open to working with younger players from the continent this summer compared to January because new additions would not be parachuted into a relegation fight. There was also a recognition that the average age of the squad had to be lowered and Pope, who is still a good age for a goalkeeper at 30, was the only player over 26 to join the club.
Pope's arrival resulted in Martin Dubravka losing the number one jersey, of course, and, in an ideal world, Howe would have liked to have kept the Slovakia international but the Newcastle boss recognised this was, effectively, a once in a lifetime opportunity for the veteran to move to Manchester United, where he will play in the Europa League. Although Dubravka was deeply disappointed to lose his place at Newcastle, Howe confirmed the goalkeeper was 'fantastic behind the scenes' with his support for Pope before leaving the club. It will now fall to Karl Darlow to push Pope as Newcastle's number two and ChronicleLive understands the shot-stopper 'really wanted to stay and fight for a place'.
There had been a degree of opportunism with Newcastle's move for Pope, after Burnley were relegated, but the Magpies did a lot of background work on all of their summer signings. The club's owners have been offered so many big names by agents and intermediaries since the takeover last October, but character as much as ability has been prioritised under Howe. Although new arrivals do not have to be squeaky clean, selfish players have been as good as avoided when the club's recruitment team and coaching staff have carried out discreet background checks.
It is easy to see why. Howe sees the dressing room as a sacred space and the Newcastle head coach desperately did not want to 'break' the spirit in the group that was so crucial to the Magpies' turnaround in the second half of last season by bringing in the wrong characters. It was not a coincidence, then, that Howe described Botman and Pope as the 'right characters' and Targett as an 'outstanding person' or that the Newcastle boss made a point of mentioning how Isak had 'a lot thrown at him for a young player'.
These are the sorts of footballers Howe wants to work with moving forward - both on and off the field.
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