Newcastle could be set for difficult £78million reality that will ask questions of recruitment

Sean McCormick argues that Newcastle United face uncomfortable questions over their summer recruitment after spending a combined £78 million on young signings Aladji Bamba and Bazoumana Toure. Ten games into the Premier League season, neither 20-year-old has made a league start for manager Matthias Jaissle, with Bamba managing only 27 minutes of action and recently being dropped entirely from the matchday squad.

Newcastle paid £34.5 million to Monaco for Bamba and £43 million to Hoffenheim for Toure, who was an unused substitute in a 1-1 draw at Fulham. While Jaissle has urged patience as both players adapt to the Premier League, McCormick suggests that potentially omitting such expensive signings from future matchday squads would be an embarrassing outcome for the club's transfer business.