Newcastle’s transfer philosophy: Why Magpies aim to emulate Borussia Dortmund’s youth career | Football news
When the Saudi PIF takeover of Newcastle is completed in late 2021 the new ownership plans to add age and experience to their new investment.
By the end of their first January window Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood and Dan Burn, all in their 20s and early 30s with more than 1,200 professional appearances between them, had done just that.
Young, quality players in Bruno Guimaraes of Lyon, Alexander Isak of Real Sociedad and Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali Everton winner Anthony Gordon followed over the next 18 months as Newcastle’s philosophy began to solidify in combining the quality, experience and crashing power of the Premier League’s big boys.
But while the Toon Army have seen two Champions League campaigns come and gone and won their first silverware in generations, the unprecedented title race never materialised.
Instead, after a disastrous summer in 2025, Eddie Howe’s side were forced to swallow the pill to finish five points clear of newly promoted rivals Sunderland last season – and move closer to a Champions League qualification spot.
The head coach wanted this transfer window to be different, and of course it was. Under a new recruitment team led by Ross Wilson, Newcastle have been among the busiest with a month to go before the start of the season and have already completed three signings and are closing in on Monaco’s Aladji Bamba for fourth place.
That’s not the only way things have changed. The up-and-coming quartet have played just 261 games between them and Lewis Miley in the side, representing four of the youngest players currently in Howe’s squad this season.
It is a deliberate change.
With St James’ Park management looking for inspiration on how to best utilize the club’s status, given PSR’s struggles and attracting Premier League rivals, they have found Borussia Dortmund a source of inspiration, following the German club’s work with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland in recent years.
“Newcastle have always been looking to bring in young players in droves, they closed the January transfer window immediately after taking over when they brought in the likes of Dan Burn, Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier,” Sky Sports News’ Northeast reporter Keith Downie told the newspaper Sky Sports Newcastle United summer podcast.
“But the model has changed a bit because now they’re looking at players between 18 and 24, if they can. And you look at the three players they’ve already signed, they fall into that bracket. And between £20 million and £40 million, that’s the kind of bracket they’re working with.
“They are trying to bring in young players with a high ceiling, one, who can improve in sales by a profit or two, stay with the team for a long time and continue to perform well on the field.
“I asked a source at the club if they were trying to be like Brighton or Brentford. And they said, no, it’s very similar to what Borussia Dortmund are doing.
“That is not a bad thing. Remember that the CEO spoke in March and said that we want to be one of the best teams in Europe by 2030. That is only four years away. They will have to catch this ball quickly.”
‘Players have progressed faster than PIF wishes’
That lack of quality minutes for Newcastle’s summer signings is all the more notable thanks to players leaving St James’ Park at the same time. Gordon had made almost 200 Premier League appearances when he left with Tonali across the English top flight and Serie A.
If Guimaraes, 29, follows, it will leave a gap in the team.
Meanwhile, missing out on the likes of Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko last summer, and Johan Manzambi to Aston Villa this year, has raised questions about Newcastle’s ability to attract those big names – and keep them – standing after the early years of PIF ownership.
People are starting to accept that the players who are coming, Isak, Tonali, even Guimaraes, see Newcastle as a stepping stone for them,” explained Downie. “I think when they arrived, maybe they saw it as their destiny.
“And they were promised that Newcastle would fight. But as the years are approaching, four and a half, almost five years since they took over, Newcastle are not fighting for the title.
“They only won one cup, as it was very good. They don’t hit those high places. So suddenly guys like Gordon, Tonali and Isak think, ‘I’ve been here for three or four years now, I want to go and win trophies and I want to be in Europe. I want to be in the Champions League every year.’
“The work has not gone as fast as the development of the players. And that depends on how good they are, how well Eddie Howe has trained them and developed them alongside his coaching staff.
“Manzambi had agreed to come to Newcastle. He had agreed with him and was willing to go. He just preferred Aston Villa. From what I was told, that was because Aston Villa is a Champions League team next season, and Newcastle is not.
“Yes, Newcastle were a Champions League club last summer, and they were missing out on players. But they were missing out on Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, established clubs, with big-name continental players.”
