FWEET! Stuart Attwell blew the final whistle at St. James’ Park and the crowd erupts. Just last night, Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United defeated Manchester United 2-0 on their home turf for the first time since 2019! The Magpies’ dominant display saw them leapfrog The Red Devils in the table and push themselves up to 3rd. The night saw Newcastle overrun and dismantle Ten Hag’s side, with the XG being 3.68 to 0.43 in Geordie’s favour.
Just over one month ago, Manchester United shattered the hearts of Newcastle United fans worldwide as they defeated The Toon 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final. But last night, The Magpies got their revenge and have placed themselves firmly in the driver’s seat for the UEFA Champions League qualification. With Newcastle’s recent Premier League history almost completely being constant relegation battles, their quick rise to glory is somewhat remarkable. Let’s take a look at their newfound superiority in English football.
The 7th of October 2021 would completely change Newcastle United forever. This day marked the completion of a 305 million pound takeover of the club from a Saudi-Arabian-backed consortium. In April 2020, a deal was initially agreed upon between the buyers and former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley. However, the Premier League were concerned that The Magpies would now be controlled by Saudi Arabia and offered arbitration to settle the disagreement about who would control the club. This caused the buyers to walk away from the deal, leaving Newcastle fans disappointed.
But, the consortium came with a different approach the second time around. The Public Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, was given the responsibility of controlling the club. This investment fund provided approximately 80% of the funds for the deal. After deliberation, the Premier League determined that the PIF was separate from the state and hence they approved the sale. Not exactly overnight, but quite swiftly, Newcastle United turned from one of the worst-run clubs in England to one of the richest clubs in the world.
As expected with the PIF takeover, Newcastle United’s squad was instantly injected with quality and manpower. In stark contrast to most European teams, Newcastle made multiple January transfer window signings to bolster their side mid-season. The first of which, is Kieran Trippier. The right-back was signed from Atletico Madrid and immediately became a key member of Newcastle’s squad, along with one of the better right-backs in the league.
Another massive signing who set the tone for Newcastle’s clever transfer window activity was Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes. The former Lyon central midfielder was eyed up by other Premier League clubs like Arsenal, but he chose to join ‘The Toon’ in what was a shock transfer that seemed too good to be true. The Brazilian has since become instrumental in Newcastle’s sides and is one of the more feared midfielders in the Premier League. His explosiveness, work rate and never-give-up attitude instantly propelled Newcastle’s midfield. Reminiscent of Yaya Toure’s transfer to Manchester City in 2010, Guimaraes’ transfer to The Magpies symbolised the change in tide for Newcastle and the beginning of their return to English dominance. Not bad for a 40-million-pound signing!
Newcastle continued to add strength to their squad by making more clever and astute signings in various areas of the squad. To add experience and composure to the side, the likes of Matt Targett and Nick Pope were picked up. Injecting youth and energy into the squad, the PIF brought in Sven Botman, Anthony Gordon and club-record signing Alexander Isak.
Similar to all Premier League sides, not all the signings hit the ground running. But the significance in The Toon’s spending has been their ability to sign players for relatively cheaper prices who can stick around the club for years and years to come: such as Sven Botman and Alexander Isak.
Alongside their signings of talented footballers from across Europe, a major shift for Newcastle United since the Public Investment Fund’s takeover was their managerial appointment of Eddie Howe. On the 8th of November 2021, about one month after the takeover, Newcastle rolled the dice and appointed Englishman Eddie Howe to lead the side. The former Bournemouth manager has since been a revelation, completely changing the culture of the club and creating a winning mindset. He’s also managed to create a proper connection between the team and the fans, something the Geordies had been crying out for under the Mike Ashley ownership.
Whilst Newcastle had spent hundreds of millions of pounds between the PIF’s takeover and the beginning of the 2022/23 Premier League season, there was not a huge expectation set for The Magpies. Contending for European qualification was on the radar for Newcastle, but qualifying for any of UEFA’s competitions would have been an incredible success.
However, Eddie Howe and his men have completely over-achieved domestically this season. Currently sitting in 3rd place on 50 points, The Toon have already accumulated more points than they had in their previous 5 seasons. There are still 11 games to go! Newcastle have also conceded a total of 19 goals which is the least goals conceded for all teams in this season’s edition of the Premier League. Victories over Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have placed Newcastle on the map as a side to be feared by anyone in English football.
Despite crashing out of the FA Cup in the 3rd round to League One side Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United’s EFL Cup run will be cherished by fans for many years. The Toon competed against multiple EPL teams in their run into the Carabao Cup final. Defeating Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Leicester and Southampton, Eddie Howe’s side made their first cup final since 1999. Unfortunately for Newcastle United, history was rewritten as they lost 2-0 in the EFL Cup final, just as they did to Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in the 1998/99 edition of the tournament. Nonetheless, the cup run will be remembered and idolised by Geordies for years to come and it too symbolizes the beginning of Newcastle’s presence on the big stages in English football.
The future is looking bright and glistening for fans of The Magpies. Their current Premier League position puts them in the driver’s seat to make European competition for the first time since the 2011/12 season. In fact, UCL qualification would place them in UEFA’s most esteemed continental competition for the first time since 2003. Newcastle United fans will also hope that they can make more deep cup runs in the near future so that they can win their first trophy since 1955.
Newcastle’s side will continue to grow, develop and improve every single season. The young core of Botman, Bruno G and Isak could create a framework that will remain in Northern England for several years. The productive and healthy mix of the young core with veteran leadership also invigorates the squad and provides optimism for Geordie fans.
There is no doubt that more money will be splashed in the upcoming transfer windows for Newcastle United. Areas of interest could be a centre back partner for Dutchman Sven Botman, or another quality midfielder to replace Matty Longstaff. If no particular position is targeted, all round squad depth is necessary for Newcastle to compete on the European stage and in the league.
Currently, Newcastle are linked to plenty of young superstars. The likes of Goncalo Ramos, Moussa Diaby, Marcus Thuram and Khephrem Thuram are being eyed up by The Toon. The most exciting thing about these transfer rumours is that The Magpies find themselves battling with European giants to earn these players’ signatures. Competing with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal to sign Europe’s elite youngsters emphasises the progression that Newcastle United have made, and their newfound presence in Europe’s most dominant clubs.
What does the future hold though for Newcastle? Can they emulate Manchester City’s rise to stardom following their UAE takeover? With all the money in the world and European football on offer, Newcastle have quickly gotten a massive pull for the world’s most elite footballers. Regardless of how high The Magpies manage to fly, their renaissance exemplifies the power of financial superiority in football. But also, the power of shrewd, erudite and intelligent scouting and transfer business.
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By Gilad Nagar ~ 03/04/2023
