THIS, for Eddie Howe, has been a draining and difficult summer transfer window.

After the dramatic June push to negotiate the PSR deadline, the Magpies are now facing another race against time, with Howe desperate to add a "difference maker" to his squad in the final week of the window.

But, as Howe himself admits, "there's no guarantee". In an ideal world, the head coach would have his ranks bolstered by not just a new centre-half but a right winger as well. But if Newcastle end up forking out a club record fee on Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, the likelihood is they'd have to go without a new flanker.

For all Howe is desperate to strengthen at the heart of his defence, with Fabian Schar's suspension further adding to the head coach's problems in that area of the pitch, "priority number one" in the coming days, he says, is making sure his squad isn't weakened by senior exits. That includes Kieran Trippier, who Howe made crystal clear on Friday he wants to keep.

READ MORE: Eddie Howe's Kieran Trippier 'surprise' and Newcastle United transfer 'wish'

Come next Friday night, Howe certainly won't be mourning the fact the window is closed.

"It’s been the most difficult I’ve experienced," he admitted.

"Without going over old ground, the June part of the window was incredibly difficult and now this part hasn’t been exactly easy either.

"It’s always going to be difficult because you’re competing for a very small pool of players and the competition is high from other clubs.

"I always think you can judge windows in many different ways. Let’s make an initial assessment at the end but then also you have to give it time to see how things lie in a year or two’s time."

And when it comes to what he'd class as a successful final week of a challenging window: "It’s hypothetical," he said.

"Keeping the majority of the squad is priority number one, that’s always the biggest priority before incomings. Then trying to sign players who make a difference."

He added: "If you asked any manager sat in my seat, the aim would always be to improve your squad every window. Whether there's one difference maker or two or three really good players that take your team on, you would always want that.

"We would want them as early as possible so you can mould them to your principles and style of play, but you have to deal with the market that's in front of you.

"You can't do anything other than trying to get the best out of the group of players that you have and that's what we're trying to do. We are still active in the market. We're trying to improve the squad and we've still got a bit of time.

"There's no guarantee. We will try. We will try until the last seconds to come out of the window with a better squad."

Schar is unavailable to face Bournemouth tomorrow after Newcastle's appeal against his Southampton red card was rejected. The Magpies are still waiting for the written reasons from the FA.