Three players Newcastle must have replacements ready for amid two transfer priorities Newcastle United are set to have a busy summer in the transfer market Comments Sean McCormick Newcastle United reporter 21:40, 21 Apr 2026 Updated 07:43, 22 Apr 2026 View Image Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali (Image: Getty Images) Newcastle United must have replacements ready for Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon in the summer transfer market this summer. That is the verdict of former Magpies forward Michael Owen, who believes United must prioritise signing a new centre-back and a centre-forward ahead of next season. Newcastle spent £124million on forwards Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa in the summer but have failed to get a tune out of either of their big-money signings this season. It has left them in a situation where one of those players may have to be sold at a loss this summer to facilitate signing a new forward and Owen believes it accentuates the need for United to 'get their recruitment right' in the coming months. Get Chronicle Premium now for just £1 HERE – exclusive news and features, our NUFC and Academy notebooks, plus an ad-lite experience "It’s always difficult with late signings in the window, to bed players in, to get used to the way the team plays, get up to speed with what the manager wants," Owen, who represents Casino.org, a leading platform helping players find UK casino brands , told Chronicle Live. "But these two players haven’t delivered to the level of the investment made in them, that is for sure. So it’s a tough one for Eddie and the players to decide what’s best as we know Wissa can perform in the Premier League as he showed at Brentford. "Woltemade is a handful up front and can definitely be part of Eddie’s plans, but they do need to get their recruitment right in the summer to be able to push on next season and be more consistent in the League." Newcastle CEO David Hopkinson admitted last month that Newcastle may sell one or two of their star players this summer and that has led to speculation over the future of the likes of Guimaraes, Tonali, Gordon, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento. And Owen insists it is imperative Newcastle have suitable replacements lined up should one of the club's marquee players move on this summer. "This is very difficult for Newcastle and Eddie Howe," Owen added. "You don’t want to keep a player who doesn’t want to be at the club. There is a case of throwing more wages at players that you want to keep and happy to stay if they believe they are being paid well, but it’s also about recruitment should any of these players leave. "If Tonali or Guimaraes leaves, then you have to look to have a strong replacement in mind as both of these have midfielders will be a massive miss for Newcastle and would be tough to replace. "Same with Gordon, too, who will be a big threat for England at the world cup this summer. So for me you want to keep your best players, but sometimes if the money is right, and the player wants to leave you may have to lose one or two of these, but have replacements in place." And when asked which areas of the pitch Newcastle need to strengthen in the transfer market, Owen identified two positions. "I think centre-back and centre-forward Newcastle would need to strengthen in," Owen concluded. Article continues below "They need to score more and have a strong focal point up front and in defence, another top commanding centre-back as some of the goals they have conceded could have been avoided, so those would be two positions to prioritise for Newcastle over the summer and I’m sure Eddie Howe has already drawn up a list of who his targets would be."
Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: www.chroniclelive.co.uk