YOU CAN’T help feel a little sorry for Eddie Howe.

It was supposed to be the summer that it all finally started happening for Newcastle.

Not only had he secured the club’s first piece of major silverware for 70 years, the Toon boss also had the Champions League to look forward to again.

He achieved all of that without making a major first-team signing for 18 months while selling several members of his squad amid the battle to meet PSR rules.

But it feels like all that excitement is quickly evaporating as the feelings of frustration mount.

Here’s why Newcastle’s summer window is threatening to turn into a real dampener:

ALEXANDER ISAK

The Swede is THE hot topic right now and, despite the club’s insistence that it’s down to injury, his absence from the Far East tour and desire to see what's on offer at Liverpool only intensifies speculation over his future.

All of the current drama and concern over his future stems all the way back to last summer.

Former co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi had promised the hotshot’s camp talks over a bumper pay rise from his current £130,000-a-week contract.

But then incoming sporting director Paul Mitchell, who we have more on below, decided to postpone negotiations due to a feeling Isak was already handsomely paid and having the security of knowing he was tied down on a contract until 2028.

The striker kept producing the goods on the pitch but, even though Mitchell has now departed, there has still been no progress on an extension.

Newcastle are willing to smash their £150,000-a-week pay ceiling and make him the best-paid player in their history but sources have indicated he wants a £300k weekly salary.

Though the last thing anyone wants is for the drama to keep dragging on and a decision needs to be made fast to avoid any potential hangover affecting the start of the season.

SPORTING DIRECTOR

Howe revealed he was just starting the second day of his holiday in May when the news came through that Mitchell was leaving.

And with no replacement lined-up or yet appointed, the head coach has found himself playing a more central role in transfer business.

That led to him, head of recruitment Steve Nickson and assistant head of recruitment Andy Howe being tasked with overseeing transfer deals.

Howe revealed: “My phone exploded. I was enjoying my second day of my holiday and that quickly went sour.

“It was a complete surprise to me. And a big disappointment because we had stability, we were planning the summer ahead and then that’s a big upheaval internally that we’ve been through before with Dan Ashworth leaving.

“It’s been a busier summer in that respect than I wanted. Naturally with Paul leaving, that left a hole in terms of that role. And of course someone in that role protects the manager from a lot of things. And of course his departure left that open for me to do some things that I wouldn’t have normally done.

“The summer certainly wasn’t a relaxing one for me to switch off and see what happens.”

The search for Mitchell’s replacement, which saw former Arsenal assistant sporting director Jason Ayto interviewed, now appears to be coming to a close.

Nottingham Forest’s chief football officer Ross Wilson is their preferred candidate and is set to be offered the role.

TRANSFERS

Newcastle finally had something to celebrate when Howe managed to get the deal over the line for Anthony Elanga.

But the £55m arrival of the winger from Forest has so far been the only addition.

Howe, and the likes of skipper Bruno Guimaraes, called for the club to move fast and bolster the wafer-thin squad once the summer market opened.

But, Elanga aside, it has been a hugely frustrating window with Toon missing out on four top targets with a FIFTH now looking likely.

The Magpies saw deals for Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Bryan Mbeumo and Hugo Ekitike hijacked while Man City seem set to swoop and snatch long-term goalkeeper target James Trafford.

A squad that included a host of young, raw and untested academy players was thrashed at Celtic on Saturday and that laid bare how much more reinforcements are needed.

Howe said: “My wish was for us to do our business early and we certainly tried, but it wasn’t to be.

“We’ve had a frustrating time in terms of losing targets to other clubs. I’d be very open with that. That’s happened on several occasions.

“You just have to accept it. In order for a transfer to really work, in my opinion, the player has to be desperate to come to your club. If we don’t get that, the transfer doesn’t work.

“We’re seeking players that are good enough, that are desperate to come, and that can make the difference that they’re in short supply for us.

“We’re confident that we can try and get some more players in to strengthen the depth of the squad. We’re certainly aware that we need to and we’re trying as hard as we can to do that.”

Newcastle are set to table a £30m offer for Brentford forward Yoane Wissa after the star left Brentford’s pre-season camp in Portugal.

UPSTAIRS UNCERTAINTY

The expected arrival of Wilson as sporting director will be just the latest in a series of changes in the hierarchy.

A replacement for much-loved CEO Darren Eales is still yet to be confirmed.

It was last September when he announced he was serving his notice after being diagnosed with blood cancer.

Ex-Real Madrid executive David Hopkinson is believed to be among the frontrunners for the position.

And to add to the upheaval and change, Newcastle appointed Atalanta’s director of football intelligence Sudarshan Gopaladesikan as new technical director this week.

He will report to whoever comes in to take over from Eales.

Any club trying to operate without a proper and in-place executive team will always face issues.

And the sooner the upstairs gets sorted then the better for everybody.