Newcastle won’t break the bank

NEWCASTLE chairman Freddy Shepherd has warned he will not break the bank to recruit manager Graeme Souness’s summer transfer targets.

Mr Shepherd has handed both Bobby Robson and since the Scot a total of £20 million (€29m) this season to recruit Patrick Kluivert, Nicky Butt, James Milner and Stephen Carr and then Jean-Alain Boumsong, Celestine Babayaro and Amdy Faye in a bid to strengthen the playing staff.

Jonathan Woodgate’s €19.5m departure for Real Madrid - injury has prevented him for playing a single game for the Spaniards - helped to offset that expenditure, but as the Magpies announced their interim figures for the half-year to January 31 today, Mr Shepherd qualified his confirmation on Friday that there would be further arrivals during the summer.