Newcastle's chief executive stated a desire to be amongst the best clubs in the world in four years - but a transfer window that has seen their best players leave and their captain wanting out is putting that ambition in question

Bruno Guimaraes has reported for Newcastle's pre-season camp as talk over his sale continues - and his possible exit would make their summer go from bad to worse.

The Magpies are currently fighting to keep their captain after two high-profile sales at St James' Park and the departure of their manager.

So often poor transfer windows centre around dire recruitment, the expensive signings who fail to work out. But in terms of exits we could certainly be looking at one of the worst summers in the history of the Premier League.

There's no doubt that the hangover from the poor summer of 12 months ago, which centred around Alexander Isak's desire to leave, eventually joining Liverpool on deadline day, has bled into the window we're currently in.

Newcastle's forgettable summer of 2025 set them on a path to a first bottom-half finish in recent years, and that had financial consequences which has seen players jump ship. The ripples are certainly being felt.

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Anthony Gordon's move to Barcelona can be written off as the one major deal that Newcastle were always going to have to sanction to remain financially compliant, especially after they missed out on European revenue. The £70million deal was one the majority could stomach.

Sandro Tonali's £100m switch to Tottenham is one that the balance sheet can live with, but what it says to the rest of the squad is perhaps more damaging than the exit itself. The Italian had been linked with Arsenal in January and given that Newcastle nearly doubled their money on the £55m they spent on him, you think fair play.

The issue is the likes of Guimaraes, who with Tonali alongside formed a midfield partnership that could genuinely be compared to any side in the Premier League. That was the only area where the Magpies could claim they were in the elite bracket, and that's a great foundation to build from.

Instead it could implode. Tonali's departure doesn't send a message of ambition and Guimaraes has expressed a desire to move to Arsenal. Newcastle have stood firm, maintaining their talisman is not for sale.

The Brazilian's exit would leave Newcastle, entering a new era under Matthias Jaissle, looking more and more like a mid-table side. A number of their blockbuster arrivals under the Saudi Arabian regime will have moved on, and questioned will be asked of the project.

Manchester United continue to track left-back Lewis Hall, who has just enjoyed the best season of his career to date. If Guimaraes were to be sold then Newcastle would be financially able to rebuff any offer that comes in for Hall - and they insist he's not for sale.

Even so, the player's head may well be turned, and a squad full of players who would rather be elsewhere isn't a recipe for success. Newcastle were quick to land a new manager, but he's an uphill task ahead of him.

Much has been made of Newcastle's failure to get deals over the line. James Trafford, Marc Guehi, Hugo Ekitike, Joao Pedro and Bryan Mbeumo have all opted for other Premier League rivals ahead of the Magpies.

Missing out on those names has certainly halted Newcastle's progress, but being able to retain their best players has meant that Howe, when he was in situ, had enough to work with that he could challenge England's best on their day. Consistency remained the problem, but a squad boasting Tonali, Guimaraes and Isak was able to end the club's 70-year wait for a trophy.

That was only 18 months ago and yet it seems like that was in a different era such has been the shift in the way many see Newcastle, even those within their four walls.

Its not to say the club haven't spent money - upwards of £100m has been spent of summer arrivals that include Ewen Jaouen, Bazoumana Toure and Sean Steur. But the fact their signings have done nothing to mitigate the negative feeling around Newcastle says everything about the magnitude of the players they've let go - and those that could still follow them.

Only last year new chief executive David Hopkinson claimed Newcastle can be “in the debate about being the top club in the world ” by 2030. Make no mistake, four years out from that goal, no club sanctions the type of exits that the Magpies have without heavyweight names coming in to replace them.

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