Newcastle have already signed their own Victor Munoz

Eddie Howe was handed a reprieve toward the end of the 2025/26 season, with PIF entrusting their title-winning manager’s capacity to lead Newcastle United back into the limelight.

It’s been a tough year for the Tynesiders, who slumped to a 12th-place finish after a draining summer transfer saga revolving around Alexander Isak. They might have banked a record-breaking £125m cheque for the Swedish striker, but it ruined their upcoming season.

Fans had hoped that lessons had been learned heading into the current transfer window, but the Magpies are struggling to make headway once again, with the failure to sign Victor Munoz from Osasuna coming as a wicked blow to their early-window efforts.

How Newcastle are planning to overcome Munoz blow

You can see why Howe wanted to bring Munoz to St. James’ Park this summer, with the Spain winger sharing many attributes with the departed Anthony Gordon, who completed a £69m transfer to Barcelona at the start of June.

Munoz has signed for Liverpool in a £34.5m deal, the Reds hijacking Newcastle’s move as they did last year, a repeat of the Hugo Ekitike saga.

But Munoz and Gordon both scored only six league goals last season, so maybe Howe and company shouldn’t get too hung up on their botched bid. There are plenty of other exciting wingers out there, after all.

Presently, FC Koln’s Said El Mala and Ligue 1 club Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo have emerged as potential targets for Newcastle. They need to sign someone, and these rising stars look like they would fit the bill. El Mala, in particular, could be a superstar, only 19 years old but already thriving as a focal point down the channels for his top-flight outfit.

That said, though, the Magpies can pull off some savvy business sometimes, with a teenage talent set to link up with Howe’s side ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, signed and sealed last year.

Newcastle have already signed the new Anthony Gordon

It might feel like the decision-makers at Newcastle have forgotten how to sign first-team players, but highly-rated goalkeeper Ewan Jaouen has already completed a £17m move to the club this summer, and the Magpies also have an exciting young winger named Antonio Cordero who could burst onto the scene next year.

Cordero is only 19 years old, but he’s tipped for big things, with the Toon pulling off the free transfer last summer, when Cordero’s contract with Malaga expired.

It’s worth noting that the Magpies beat the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid in the race to sign the prospect, who scored six goals and supplied seven assists across 39 matches in the Spanish second tier in 2024/25.

A succession of loan spells last term, first with Westerlo in Belgium before heading back to his homeland to make an impact with Cadiz in La Liga has helped him foster his athletic and technical skills, and though Cordero, who tends to play on the right wing, won’t back the same kind of polished punch as Gordon from the get-go, he does have the ability to establish himself as a top Premier League winger down the line, making an impact under Howe’s wing and fighting for a starting berth.

Indeed, analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson has even suggested that Cordero, a tall and dynamic winger, has something “like Gordon” about his skillset, positionally fluid and capable of darting into the danger area or placing emphasis on his mean crossing ability.

It’s worth noting that while he is principally a right-sided winger, he scored three times from 11 games on the left for Cadiz, and could become something of a secret weapon for Howe, supporting the likes of Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga – and maybe, just maybe, a high-profile attacking signing too.

Times are tough on Tyneside, but Howe has pulled off a series of blinders at the helm, and he might just have what it takes to resurrect his tenure next season.

Newcastle need attacking signings, but let’s not forget the likes of Cordero, who has the talent to become a superstar down the line.