‘Players will come and go’ - Newcastle must accept transfer cycle in post-Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali & Anthony Gordon rebuild

Having enjoyed a return to prominence under Eddie Howe - winning the Carabao Cup, a first domestic trophy in 70 years, and securing Champions League qualification - collective wings have been clipped on Tyneside.

Bruno Guimaraes has left for Premier League title holders Arsenal, Sandro Tonali is now a domestic rival at Tottenham, while Anthony Gordon has stepped out of his comfort zone and linked up with Barcelona. Former club captain Kieran Trippier has walked away as a free agent.

Howe has also headed through the exits, being replaced by Matthias Jaissle, with winds of change sweeping across the North East. Newcastle lost Alexander Isak to Liverpool for £125 million ($169m) in the summer of 2025.

A squad that took several years to construct has been decimated in a matter of months, but rebuilding work can now begin in earnest. The Magpies finished last season in 12th place and are eager to avoid slipping further into reverse.

Asked if more backwards steps will be taken before forwards momentum is established again, ex-Newcastle star Barnes - speaking exclusively to GOAL courtesy of 247Bet - said: “I would expect them to finish around there again this season.

“Go forwards to go where? Newcastle could finish 5th, 6th, 7th, I think that's where they possibly can finish, everyone stays together. The problem that Newcastle have is that they finish there because when they sign these players - Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon, Tonali and even Isak - all of a sudden they lose those players and you see what happened.

“Now if they sign other players, they can get back up there again and if they can keep those players, maybe they can maintain that. But Newcastle I think are going to be a club - and it's nothing to do with Newcastle, Liverpool couldn't keep Trent [Alexander-Arnold] - that players will come and players will go, they're going to leave. As much as they come to Newcastle, they may leave.

“So if Newcastle are going to say that they're going to keep those players and maintain their attack on 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th position by keeping those players, they'll be able to do that. But if you're then all of a sudden going to lose those players every year and you have to re-sign new players and maybe you can do it and it may take time, they are always going to be a club whereby they do well and they're going to fall down to 10th or 11th or 12th, sign more players and maybe do well.

“Unfortunately, this is the nature of football. It’s not to do with Newcastle, it's to do with football. Unless you're going to be an Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United, Chelsea - the rest of the teams like Bournemouth and Brighton are different, they can always get players like that because if they finish 10th or 11th they're happy and they can push up to 6th or 7th with what they have. Newcastle should be a much bigger club than Bournemouth and Brighton. I think that's where Newcastle are going to shop if you like.”

Newcastle have experienced mixed results during pre-season, while losing Anthony Elanga to injury, and clearly have work to do before kicking off their 2026-27 campaign at home to Liverpool on August 23.

The summer transfer window will remain open until September 1, giving Jaissle time in which to bring in more fresh faces alongside new recruits Ewen Jaouen, Bazoumana Toure, Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba and Lukas Hornicek.