TA: Eddie Howe firmly believes that Elanga and other new players can be effective; Newcastle will undergo a major defensive overhaul next summer

Hupu News on November 4th The AthleticUK Newcastle reporter team answered fans’ questions.

Do you feel we have some regrets about some of the signings we made in the summer? ——Suraj R

The effects of Newcastle's signings this summer are uneven, some are immediate, and some are not.

Jiafu has been hailed as one of the best signings of the summer, while Walter Mader has scored six goals so far. Walter Mader is not the team's go-to forward and may not see as much playing time if Visa remains healthy.

However, Eddie Howe is very pleased with how well the German striker has settled in, although Newcastle are clearly still struggling to play to his strengths (and vice versa).

Visa's situation is rather special. Although Newcastle believes that they must sign the Democratic Republic of Congo international, they have always admitted that the transfer fee is too high.

His knee injury certainly makes the deal more interesting, but if he can perform as well as Newcastle believe, Visa is exactly the kind of player who can improve his team's ranking with goals. What’s frustrating is his injuries.

Throughout the summer, Newcastle's signing costs were considered to be too high, a point that has been repeatedly mentioned by critics. The performances of Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey have so far failed to justify the investment.

However, Howe still firmly believes that Elanga will succeed. He believes that once the Swedish international fully adapts to his tactical system, he can become the team's winning weapon with his speed and ability to balance both left and right feet. Ramsey, meanwhile, has shown some flair, although an early ankle injury hampered his progress.

With Ross Wilson taking over as sporting director, Newcastle will re-examine their recruitment efforts. This is normal practice after every transfer window and it would be worrying if this was not part of their recruitment process.

But Eddie Howe and those close to the manager have expressed no regrets about their signing choices this summer, although they admit that Newcastle have missed out on several first-choice targets who will naturally have high hopes to immediately improve the team's strength.

Will the slow pace of change at the top have an impact on the players? -Jack C

I doubt there will be a direct impact, and that doesn't excuse continued poor away performances. But what about subtle influences? There certainly is, because it can make star players question the direction of the team.

The stagnation in the construction of the stadium and training ground, as well as the failure to sign any first-team players for three consecutive transfer windows, prompted Isaac to believe that he must leave to realize his ambitions.

There have been warnings within the club for years that it was increasingly difficult to convince players of its ability to become an elite club given the slow pace of infrastructure projects.

The deadlock on whether Newcastle will join the multi-club ownership (MCO) model also fully confirms this point.

Former sporting director Paul Mitchell has spent time researching this area, Amanda Staveley has publicly admitted to exploring potential partner clubs, and some staff are still exploring these avenues, but there has been no substantial progress yet - and no one seems sure whether there will be progress in the future.

Chief executive David Hopkinson has been keen to reaffirm Newcastle's ambitions since taking over and seek to clarify the club's overall goals and expectations, especially since Wilson has also joined. Ultimately, however, these large infrastructure and investment projects rely on their controlling shareholder, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.

While the long-term outlook may be unsettling for players, Newcastle have enough quality to avoid fluctuations in on-field performance.

Next summer, will we see a transition between the old and the new in the defense and goalkeeper positions, especially the veterans? ——Stephen L

Next summer will undoubtedly be an important update opportunity for the team's defense. Howe appears to be building a brand new squad, and after failing to bolster the starting lineup over the past 18 months, the last transfer window was mainly about adding depth to prepare for the Champions League.

Next summer will be the next stage for the team to further reduce the average age and improve the technical level of specific positions.

Kieran Trippier has always been an outstanding player, but at 35 years old, he may need a successor to compete with Tino Liveramento. Although Dan Byrne and Fabian Scheer are both 33 years old, they are still indispensable members of the team, but the team also needs to find younger central defenders to challenge Portman and Jiafu.

With Ramsdale effectively on trial for a season, a potential shakeup of the goalkeeper position is already under consideration, which will depend in part on how well the England goalkeeper performs and how well Nick Pope performs throughout the season.