Newcastle United, who are set to face the challenges of the new Europa League season, beat non-league side Gateshead in a pre-season warm-up match on Sunday (16) with a 3-2 comeback win despite being two goals down. After the match, team leader Eddie Howie expressed his dissatisfaction with the team's summer reinforcements and bluntly revealed the serious constraints imposed by the financial fairness rules on the team's reinforcement strategy.
Newcastle United signed Italian midfielder Sindo Donnelly for £52 million (about HK$530 million) not long ago, but other reinforcement targets have been slow to break through. Eddie Howie said after the match against Gateshead: "I understand the situation of the team and I am pleased with the signing of Sindo Donnelly, but the team still needs more players. I am very aware of which positions in the squad need strengthening, however, the constraints of the financial fairness rules have forced us to be more cautious when it comes to bringing in reinforcements and we are not flush with cash."
