Daily Mail’s Craig Hope has graded Newcastle United’s summer transfer window as a “B,” reflecting a mix of smart additions, setbacks and the loss of Alexander Isak.
Hope noted that while Eddie Howe’s squad has been strengthened, the starting XI may not have been significantly upgraded. “In the modern game, there is an argument to say that achieving the former is just as important. But in losing Alexander Isak, they are weaker,” Hope wrote.
Newcastle invested a club-record £69m in Nick Woltemade, a signing
viewed as a gamble, while also securing Yoane Wissa from Brentford in a £55m deal. “The arrival of Yoane Wissa as a striker ready to hit the ground running is smart,” Hope said. He also pointed to Jacob Ramsey as a valuable midfield reinforcement, expected to feature regularly, and questioned Anthony Elanga’s early impact after his £55m move from Nottingham Forest.
In total, Newcastle made six signings: Woltemade, Wissa, Elanga, Ramsey, Malick Thiaw, and Aaron Ramsdale. All arrived to address positions identified by Howe in May, but the summer was defined by missed targets including Benjamin Sesko, Hugo Ekitike, Jorgen Strand Larsen, and Joao Pedro.
The key departure was Isak’s £130m transfer to Liverpool, which ended a lengthy and acrimonious saga after the striker refused to play for the club. While Newcastle ultimately bolstered their squad depth across the pitch, Hope concluded the Isak exit leaves Howe with fewer world-class options.
“Newcastle’s summer has not gone to plan, to say the least,” Hope wrote, “but they may just have salvaged a victory of some sorts from a difficult situation with six signings and a line being drawn under the Isak saga.”
