Jamie O’Hara has claimed Newcastle’s lack of success in the transfer market is partly down to their geographical location.
The Magpies have endured a nightmare summer window when it comes to landing their top targets, having been linked with a host of players but only making one major signing so far.
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Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hasn’t assembled the squad he would have liked so farCredit: Getty
While Anthony Elanga completed a £55million move from Nottingham Forest, the Geordies have had no such luck beyond this.
Which players have Newcastle missed out on?
Newcastle have been no strangers to rejection this summer, most recently being beaten to the signature of Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, who is now set to join Liverpool in a £79m deal.
Despite making an approach for the Frenchman, with a delegation flying in to Germany for talks, the Reds then swooped in.
On top of that, Newcastle have also missed out on Dean Huijsen, Joao Pedro and Bryan Mbeumo over the last couple of months.
Meanwhile another target, Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, has now held talks with Manchester City, despite being heavily linked with a move to St James’ Park both this summer and last.
Eddie Howe’s side are also battling to keep hold of talisman Alexander Isak, who missed the Magpies’ recent friendly defeat to Celtic amid ongoing speculation surrounding his future at the club.
What did Jamie O’Hara say about Newcastle’s lack of transfer success?
talkSPORT’s Jamie O’Hara believes that geography is the reason behind Newcastle’s continued near-misses in the transfer market.
Appearing on talkSPORT Breakfast, the former Spurs midfielder claimed that players would much sooner sign for a London club, rather than move to the North East for footballing reasons.
He told co-host Dean Saunders: “Let me tell you now, foreign players will choose London over Newcastle every time.
“They will, you know that’s true. And whether that’s right or not, Newcastle are a great football club, but you have other other situations that come into effect with wives, children, where they want to be.
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Anthony Elanga is Newcastle’s only marquee signing so far this summerCredit: Getty
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Hugo Ekitike had caught the Geordies’ eye after scoring 15 Bundesliga goals for Frankfurt last seasonCredit: Getty
“Newcastle, geographically, is a little bit of an issue for them because they’re up north.”
O’Hara also pointed to the Premier League’s spending rules [PSR] as a factor behind Newcastle’s lack of success this summer.
Despite having huge financial backing following their takeover by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund [PIF] in 2021, the Geordies have been restricted in flexing their muscle, having come close to breaching PSR rules.
O’Hara continued: “These owners, I feel for them a little bit because I’ve got money in the world.
“PSR obviously is affected and to the point where they can only spend a certain amount of money – they’ve got to be very careful with how they spend it and what they do.
“The problem you’ve got then is you’re competing with other teams who can spend the same amount of money as you, even though you’ve got more money than them.
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Jamie O’Hara claimed Newcastle is not an attractive location to transfer targets
The talkSPORT host explained: “You’re giving the player the option to go [to any big Premier League side].
“And [they think]: ‘You know what? Liverpool [are a big club], Chelsea are in London. Newcastle’s a bit cold, Man City are up there.’
“If they could spend whatever they wanted, which the owners could get the player over line, because you say: ‘I’ll pay £10-15m over the odds for him because I’m going to make sure I get him at Newcastle’.
“But they don’t have that option, right? They’ve got to be careful with how they spend their money, and which makes it more difficult to get deals that they want.”
What did Kylian Mbappe say about Newcastle?
O’Hara isn’t the only person to have reservations over joining Newcastle purely on geographical grounds.
France and Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe has also hinted he would be put off a move to the North East due to the cold weather.
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Mbappe wasn’t mad on a move to Newcastle when asked about Griezmann’s Football Manager career during Euro 2020Credit: FFFTV
The striker made this admission back in 2021, when his France teammate Antoine Griezmann signed him for Newcastle on Football Manager.
But when Griezmann told Mbappe about his fictional transfer to St James’ Park, he wasn’t exactly keen on the idea.
A perplexed Mbappe simply replied: “Newcastle, where? It’s not very warm there, eh?”
Despite the Frenchman’s verdict, Eddie Howe will be hoping the prospect of Champions League football in the upcoming season will be enough to see Newcastle finally land their targets over the coming weeks.