Did Newcastle 'choose' to enter a transitional period?

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock believes Eddie Howe's departure from Newcastle United this summer acted as a catalyst for a transitional period at St James' Park. Since the end of the 2025-26 season, the Magpies have also lost the services of Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, Sandro Tonali to Tottenham and Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal . "Newcastle were the ones who chose to get rid of their manager this summer, in my opinion," Warnock said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "They pushed Eddie Howe and gave him a decision to make. "If you don't back your manager, they will be sitting there thinking: 'Well, hang about, I need money to strengthen here and you are tying my hands around my back.' "The club didn't need to do that, they left him with a decision to make about his future at the club. "Do people really think they didn't want to lose Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes? Because I think they absolutely would've taken £100m. These haven't been forced decisions." The Observer's Rory Smith replied: "What Newcastle have done, amid all of the change, has been really impressive, but it is reactive to a situation they maybe wouldn't have chosen to be in at the start of summer. "But I disagree that they wanted to sell Tonali or Guimaraes. If they could have kept those two players, they would have." Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds [BBC]