Newcastle United have made themselves masters of selling. Whether they buy as well is another matter. Once the club realised their prized players were desperate to leave, they drove hard bargains. Alexander Isak went for a club-record £125m, Anthony Gordon for £70m, Sandro Tonali for £100m, and Bruno is now expected to bring in up to £80m with add-ons. Eddie Howe knew Bruno had been in the departure lounge for some time before he himself walked out the door.
That can be read as smart business, given the money banked, or as a disaster that strips the squad of its best talent. Cash in the bank does not automatically turn into points in the Premier League table when the season starts.
Bruno's impending exit splits opinion. For a player who turns 29 in November and has only a year left on his contract, close to £80m with performance-related extras looks like squeezing every last drop from the orange. But as fast bowler and Magpies fan Steve Harmison put it: "Bruno is priceless to us."
End of the midfield
Once formalities are completed, Bruno's departure will appear as inevitable as Isak's, and without the same animosity. It will also signal the end of the powerful Newcastle midfield that helped beat Premier League champions Liverpool and brought the club its first trophy in years.
Sandro Tonali has already gone. Bruno is following. Joelinton apparently wants to go to Saudi, with no offer yet testing the club. That would leave Lewis Miley as a key midfield figure - and he is as young as the teenagers arriving on Tyneside by the boatload.
The gnawing fear among supporters is the domino effect. Many now wonder not just who else might be triggered into action, but whether players such as Lewis Hall or Tino Livramento could be tempted away.
From big spenders to kindergarten
There is also doubt over whether Newcastle still know how to buy well. They once did spectacularly, but a year ago they panicked, and after that disaster they dried off and reset. Now the policy is to enrol as many kids as a kindergarten.
Three 20-year-olds and a teenager have been brought in - all complete unknowns - before the move for a second goalkeeper. This one is almost middle-aged at 24, but still fits the new 18-to-25 model and a much more modest budget. Lukas Hornicek is on his way from Braga to become No.1 instead of thirty-something Nick Pope.
Fans are split between the Alan Hansen stance - "you win nothing with kids" - and the belief that "if they are good enough they are old enough." The writer believes a mix is essential; kids need experience to guide them, however talented they may be.
A young manager, a fresh approach
To underline Newcastle's love of youth, new boss Matthias Jaissle is a bairn in managerial terms at just 38. He is younger than baby-faced Eddie Howe, though Howe admittedly aged over the last year. If Jaissle's reputation for high-oxygen football is correct, he may bring the freshness everyone wants.
Being apprehensive is not being negative or disloyal; it comes from caring. Fans can be realistic and base concerns on facts rather than blind faith. They are desperate to be proved wrong and want reassurance that the club is still on the right path after the Ashley years of being let down.
Change at the top can certainly benefit Newcastle, and the new approach and renewed energy make sense. Howe had probably run his race. But will an extreme recruitment policy work just because it is different?
United and Chelsea trade places
It is fascinating to compare Newcastle and Chelsea, two of the Premier League's biggest clubs. Both went down one route, decided it was a cul-de-sac, and suddenly turned in the exact opposite direction. Brave or foolhardy?
Newcastle first got their feet wet at the top end of the market, with some success, but after a poor 12th-place finish they have switched to signing rookies. Chelsea took the youth path with total conviction, handing out lengthy contracts, but after finishing an equally unimpressive 10th under a new manager they are now targeting golden oldies.
Knocked back in their pursuit of Sunderland skipper Granit Xhaka, Chelsea did not rethink for a moment. They went even more extreme, hunting down 35-year-old Danny Welbeck and 36-year-old Jordan Henderson. The Pensioners chasing pensioners.
BlueCo had been dogmatic about youth, signing only one player over 25 - defender Tosin Adarabioyo - since summer 2023. Last season Chelsea gorged on 10 youngsters aged from 18 (Estevao, Kendry Paez) to 23 (Joao Pedro). Now it seems to be all about opposites attract for both clubs. Forget what did not work, albeit temporarily, and try something new.
David Hopkinson and Ross Wilson are taking as many risks as a Las Vegas gambler. Maybe they will hit the jackpot and laugh all the way home, local heroes in the land of Mark Knopfler. Or maybe they will not. Newcastle's signings look very much part of tomorrow, while Chelsea's targets are of yesterday. It will be interesting to see how it pans out in the here and now.
