Jamie Carragher hit the nail on the head when naming two former Newcastle United players who must frustrate Eddie Howe.

Alexander Isak’s departure from Newcastle United earlier this year was painful.

The manner with which Isak went about forcing his move to Liverpool made headlines around the world and left a bitter taste in the mouth on Tyneside.

Still, Newcastle have replaced him with Nick Woltemade. Howe’s side may be struggling as a whole but it’s not because they don’t have a striker scoring goals.

Indeed, Carragher’s assertion goes back a bit further. He rightly believes the Newcastle United manager will be frustrated at watching Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh develop.

Jamie Carragher thinks Eddie Howe will be frustrated by Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh

Newcastle didn’t want to sell either Anderson or Minteh but elected to cash in on those two rather than selling any of their elite stars at the time.

While the club will obviously point to the fact that the Premier League’s Profit and Suitability Rules make selling academy players more tempting, they didn’t necessarily have to sell those two.

Newcastle United’s spending power ahead of the January transfer window.

Premier League PSR isn’t an immediate concern for Newcastle in January. With UEFA’s equivalent rules, they should be absolutely fine too. If they thought there was good value in the market and wanted to spend £100m-plus, they could do.

Football finance expert Adam Williams, speaking to Geordie Boot Boys.

Indeed, Anderson and Minteh are shining at Nottingham Forest and Brighton respectively.

Anderson is now an England international, while Minteh continues to impress in the Premier League.

Carragher believes Howe will be frustrated at that, while the pundit also suggested owners PIF went for a quick fix in selling those two rather than taking a longer-term view.

Hindsight is a wonderful gift, of course. Had Newcastle sold Isak, Anthony Gordon or Bruno Guimaraes in 2024, there would have been uproar amongst supporters.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Carragher said: “When Howe sees Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, the frustration must burn even more.

“Newcastle blamed PSR for forcing their premature sales, but there were other options. Could one of the high-profile midfielders have been sacrificed for £80m to retain Anderson, for example? In retrospect, it feels both Anderson and Minteh were sold as a quick fix to an issue which the club could and should have avoided with greater foresight.”

Why Jamie Carragher is so unhappy with PIF at Newcastle United

This isn’t the first time Carragher has criticised the Newcastle United owners.

After the Brentford defeat earlier this month, Carragher claimed that PIF had let Eddie Howe down at Newcastle following another chaotic summer off the field.

It’s hard to disagree. Howe should not be absolved of criticism given recent results but he is coming off another difficult summer during which chaos ensued.

PIF can hardly be blamed for Isak’s actions but they did perhaps cash in too early on Anderson and Minteh.

Which position should Newcastle United look to strengthen in January?

Again, it’s easy to say that with hindsight but the best clubs tend to take a much longer-term view on things.

Right now, it feels as if Newcastle cannot afford any of their top players leaving. They are simply too good to replace.

That just isn’t sustainable. What is sustainable, however, is producing young talent who can step in and keep the machine moving when players come and go. Lessons do need to be learned.