09 May 2023 , 11:13
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Gary Neville has explained how Newcastle's potential summer transfer business would scare him, with a host of big name players being linked with a move to to St James's Park.
Brazilian superstar Neymar is the latest such player, with the forward expected to leave Paris Saint-Germain on a this summer. This comes amid the 30-year-old's apparent unrest in Paris, with fans chanting outside the world's most expensive player's house amid continued tension and escalating unrest from their supporters.
PSG have suffered a disappointing season, with their Champions League round-of-16 exit and indifferent league form under Christophe Galtier. This has led to reports in 90min that PSG are set to offload Neymar, with Newcastle one of the few clubs in Europe who might be able to match the expected financial demands from both the former Barcelona star and his current employers.
As a result of the links, former Manchester United and England full-back Neville has expressed his fear at the transfer, with concerns about its potential to unsettle the club. He said on the Gary Neville podcast : "That would scare me to death, that sort of signing.
"Neymar is a sensational player but I think Eddie Howe all of a sudden would sort of have a circus - Eddie Howe doesn't need a circus up here. You think about what Newcastle are at this moment in time, they're building, they've got foundations.
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"What you don't want to do is basically go and disrupt that. Fans are really behind the team they're behind the manager, there's a sort of a spirit building.
"They're going to need to do it at some point, go for those big name signings, and they're going to need to make that jump and Eddie's going to need to be brave at a point and say 'yeah let's go for it'.
Neymar and Lionel Messi have become divisive figures in Paris ((Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images))Howe has taken Newcastle from the relegation zone last season into the Premier League's upper echelons this season, with signings such as Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak part of a £250 million rebuild. Despite the money spent so far, the former Bournemouth manager spoke last week about how the club needs to be careful about the players they sign and not get side-tracked by big name players.
Speaking at his press conference last Friday, Howe said: "That kind of speculation has been there from day one since the takeover." he added. "Naturally everyone has then assumed the biggest names in world football will be going to Newcastle.
"Now, we've not recruited that way. Financially, we can't recruit that way at the moment, but also we have to bring the right people and the right players into the group.
"I will say the transfer market is such a complex decision, you can't just pick a name and bring them in." Howe continued. "There's got to be a lot of thought going into what we're doing both financially and looking at the players."
Such sentiments show a difference in approach from PSG, with Saudi backed Newcastle not taking the approach of their Qatari-funded contemporaries. Recent unrest between fans and big name players such as Lionel Messi underline Howe's approach to business alongside Director of Football Dan Ashworth.