Inside Newcastle United's transfer mission and why new faces will be unveiled soon | Chronicle Live

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Newcastle United have yet to get over the line with a major signing this summer - but Eddie Howe has stayed cool behind the scenes.

That doesn't mean to say that nothing is being done on the recruitment front, it's just that the Magpies are still working with a limited budget.

Howe stated in his final meeting of the season with journalists last month that there was a need for "speed" this summer, but he also said that huge deals would be unlikely and that Newcastle just aren't close to the day of luring a fully fledged and "established" star to the club right now.

Instead, Howe is looking to develop stars, and a quick glance at the Under-21 European Championships in Slovakia gives a more meaningful glance at the type of team the head coach and his staff want to build. Tino Livramento lit up the tournament for England earlier this week with two wonderful crosses that resulted in goals for the Three Lions in a 3-1 win over Czechia.

Then there's William Osula, another to stamp his authority on the tournament with a goal and an assist in Denmark's 3-2 win over Ukraine. Both youngsters will be a huge part of things in the next few years on Tyneside - this remains an exciting time with Champions League football again on the horizon.

And what about the one that got away against Howe's initial wishes last summer in Elliot Anderson? Nottingham Forest knew then that they had landed a bargain and his mature performance at the mini Euros the other night with 99 touches showed exactly what Newcastle had lost.

Howe's plan was to eventually develop Whitley Bay lad Anderson into a first-team regular, but his first season at Forest has been a revelation as he helped fire them into Europe.

But Howe's transfer policy and overall philosophy won't change. Even if Newcastle could somehow smash their way through the PSR guidelines, Howe would still favour the players of the younger mould who have their best years ahead of them.

Think Livramento, think Osula and think Lewis Hall. Howe wants the Magpies to be a team for today and tomorrow.

Make no doubt the targets that have surfaced so far would make Newcastle better if fees can be agreed. Goalkeeper James Trafford, winger Anthony Elanga and striker Joao Pedro would be a dream set of signings with a couple of fringe players sprinkled in. But Newcastle won't lose the plot if they don't get them.

There is a Plan A, B, and C as the intensity of the summer kicks in and Howe is confident he won't complete the window empty-handed. The talk behind the scenes is to ensure that at least one new signing arrives before the game against Celtic next month.

If last season showed anything it was that Howe and his staff are capable of working with the players they have at their disposal. Since taking over as boss he's turned Joelinton and Fabian Schar, as players he inherited, into big stars. The likes of Sandro Tonali, Alexander Isak and Dan Burn have become better players.

That is why there are a lot of people flying the flag for signing players who can still be developed like Hall, Livramento and Osula. The progress they have made is testament to that.

It's very much a project at Newcastle, and one that Howe and his staff are quietly tweaking day by day behind the scenes.