Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe shares transfer frustration amid James Trafford Burnley update
Eddie Howe has vented his frustration with Newcastle United’s summer transfer recruitment amid reports they could be set to move on from their pursuit of Burnley’s James Trafford.
For the second summer running, the Magpies have been strongly linked with a swoop for Burnley’s number one goalkeeper.
Newcastle have yet to match the Clarets’ asking price, however, with fresh reports from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano now suggesting they could face serious competition from Trafford’s former club Manchester City.
Should the Toon Army lose out on the 22-year-old, it will be another name to add to the list of failed targets, with Dean Huijsen, Bryan Mbuemo, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Hugo Ekitike all opting to go elsewhere.
Speaking after Saturday’s 4-0 friendly defeat to Celtic, Howe opened up on how challenging this summer has been on the transfer front.
"Trust me the work that we have put into loads of things that have had no benefit has been there all through the summer," Howe said.
“But we still have to do the right things and go through the right processes, and we have to go for the best players that we can.
"We have hit roadblocks on a number of occasions through no fault of our own. I've been through that many times in my career as a manager and I look at it very calmly when it happens because the players that you sign have to want to come. Ultimately, if they don't, they're not the right players for us.”
Howe remarked at the end of last season how he wanted Newcastle to be active early into the transfer window, but as of yet only Anthony Elanga has arrived from Nottingham Forest.
"My wish was for us to do our business early and we certainly tried, but it wasn't to be,” the former Clarets boss added.
“We've had a frustrating time in terms of losing targets to other clubs. I'd be very open with that. That's happened on several occasions. You just have to accept it.
“In order for a transfer to really work, in my opinion, the player has to be desperate to come to your club. If we don't get that, the transfer doesn't work.
“We're seeking players that are good enough, that are desperate to come, and that can make the difference that they're in short supply for us.
“We're confident that we can try and get some more players in to strengthen the depth of the squad. We're certainly aware that we need to and we're trying as hard as we can to do that.”
A big complication for the Magpies, like a lot of Premier League clubs, is PSR and limitations over how much money they can spend this summer.
“Finances of course play a huge part," Howe said. "I think anyone who doesn't think that's true is deluded.
“I wouldn't say it’s the number one [factor] for every player. Every situation is different. But we aren't the biggest payers in the league because we don't generate the most income, so we have to fall in line with PSR and we have to be very smart with what we do.
“We have to control the wages of the players that we have and that all plays a part in who we can attract."