Newcastle’s Rebirth A change of manager, new Saudi owners and a plethora of exciting new signings - Newcastle United have been lifted from their ruins and look to become a dominant force in football once again.
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remier League teams undergo ‘transitions’ fairly regularly. The top division of English football is a competitive and no-nonsense environment, managers and players can easily come and go, especially the former, who in recent years are quickly dismissed if things start to turn negative for the club. When I think about the team who have undergone the largest transition and transformation this season, the one name that stands out is Newcastle United. This season they have switched owners, managers, signed half a dozen new players, and are now looking like a proper force in the Premier League once again. The club were in need of dire change, and had been for a while. Many fans had been irritated with the careless leadership of former club owner Mike Ashley, who was at the helm from 2007 until 2021. In the last few years of his ownership Ashley was criticised for his careless nature towards the club, as he prioritised his work with Frasers Group and his other business ventures, putting the club and it’s interests on the backburner. This was combined with a lack of proper investment which led to mostly average signings, none of which seemed to turn results around for the team. Moreover, their former head coach, Steve Bruce, did his absolute best, but suffered from the same issues that previous Newcastle managers had - a squad of players that were demoralised and demotivated. In October of last year Ashley sold the club to a consortium of owners for a reported £305 million. Included in the consortium is the
Arabia, with a net worth of £320 was completed, Bruce left his billion, making Newcastle the new role by mutual consent, recieving richest club in the Premier League. a hefty payout of £8 million for Also part of the consortium is his troubles. He wished the new British entrepreneur Amanda ownership well and departed the Staverley, who took a 10% club after 3 years. ownership. She serves on the With the new owners and the Newcastle board of governors and cash to attract a new set of players, is the active ownership presence in the choice of manager had the Newcastle. freedom to choose players that While looking into Newcastle’s fit into their particular tactical quick transition I decided to speak strategies, and the role therefore to one of my childhood friends, became a desirable one for the list Liam, who is a lifelong Newcastle of potential candidates. supporter and football fan. He Unai Emery and Frank Lampard seemed mostly excited about the looked like strong examples, initial takeover of the club: Emery almost taking the job before A lot of the Premier League declining at the last second. There clubs and owners have were even shouts for Rafa Benitez described Newcastles’ takeover to make a return to Merseyside, as ‘sportswashing’ - where an after his 3 year spell there. investment group will attempt to Though, in the end, Eddie Howe improve their image or reputation signed on as Newcastle’s first new through sports. manager under “Beforehand I thought In this case many the new owners. we could have gotten believed the Saudis T h e a manager better than invested in the announcement Howe, but maybe I club in order to try of Eddie Howe was dreaming. His and dodge claims as the club’s tactical insight has about their history new manager revolutionised the club” surprised with human rights. me Staverley dismissed these claims, reminding clubs that the Public Investment Fund does not share the same views as the country of Saudi Arabia. Either way, Newcastle were placed in a very exciting position, and with newfound billions worth of funding to play with, they could make smart changes to the club. The first port of call was a new managerial appointment. Of course, Newcastle still had Bruce at the helm, who had the difficult task of trying to steer the current Newcastle squad out of a relegation battle. He had limited success, and
at first. He was most famously the head coach of Bournemouth for 8 years, during which he kept the Cherries in the Premier League for a long period of time, before their relegation and his sacking in 2020. In the last few years of his time on the coast he seemed to have lost his magic touch, losing more games than he was winning and eventually failing to keep Bournemouth in the Premier League. As Liam told me, there were arguably ‘better’ choices available, managers with silverware under their belts and equally strong experience. But Howe shouldn’t
At 44, Howe is still relatively young in managerial terms, yet has Premier League experience in spades, and in his year out of management received offers from several historic clubs, including Arsenal. In his short time at Newcastle he has fit in instantly, and seems to have stuck an instant friendship with the club’s staff and fans. In January the transfer window re-opened, and with support from the owners it gave the opportunity for Howe to begin scouting new transfers for his team. The prospect of joining a new and exciting project as well as a solid chance of breaking into the first team is a desirable outcome for new players, and there were several names that the club wanted in order for Howe’s tactical layout to function properly. It seemed the priority for Howe was strengthening the defence, as that was the weakness of the team under Steve Bruce; conceding goals seemed to be a major issue and had led to the club’s fall down the table and into the relegation positions. Howe’s first signing was a major one and undoubtedly set the precedent for the club’s future under Howe and the new owners. Kieran Tripper signed as the club’s new right-back and Howe’s first official signing, joing Newcastle after his time at Atletico Madrid in Spain. Personally it was a move that surprised me a lot, it was a decision that I wasn’t expecting the player to make but it showed testament to the pull power that Eddie Howe has manifested, and it also showed the trust players have in Howe’s ideas for the club. Howe made further
Public Investment Fund of Saudi
only 2 weeks after the takeover
be written off.
reinforcements in defence, signing
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both Matt Targett and Dan Burn to fill in his new-look defence. Combined with Newcastle mainstays Fabian Schar and Dubravka in goal, Newcastle have crafted a competent and robust back line that should hopefully improve their defensive issues going forward. Elsewhere in attack, Newcastle have several high quality players, and Howe has strengthened his lineup further with the signing of Chris Wood from Burnley. The player fits perfectly into Howe’s footballing styles, and he has already cemented himself into the team, acting as a focal point for the Magpie’s attack. Though, the most surprising signing of the window was the acquisition of Bruno Guimarães from Lyon. Guimarães was a target for several big name clubs and to see him choose Newcastle out of a star studded lineup was incredible. Guimarães is similar to Tripper in the sense of ‘star players’, something that Newcastle can build around and use to attract more exciting signings. Overall, Newcastle signed 5 players in the window. They were pushing for more signings that were unsuccessful, for example the promising Dutch defender Sven Botman, a player who I think will eventually push a successful move through to Newcastle. Usually, I’m apprehensive when a club brings in several players that all make their way into the first team. The case with mass
players will need time to fit into more of an attacking midfield the clubs cultures and history, role, something that has proven they need time to form bonds effective in the team. with their teammates. There’s When I spoke to Liam he was also no guarantee a player will undoubtedly pleased that the instantly settle at a new club and darker periods the club had may struggle with form for a while. experienced under the ownership With Newcaslte however, this of Bruce was fully behind them, hasn’t been the case at all. The first and he seemed really happy with few games may have been slow, but the state the club were in at the the club and players have quickly moment: bought into the new system and At time of writing Newcastle have welcomed the new signings are on an impressive unbeaten expertly. International signings streak and look certain to continue like Guimarães have been given their strong run of form. In such time to bed into the Premier a small period of time Howe has League and the competitiveness been able to assemble a strong that it brings, and will undoubtedly and capable Newcastle side, and make an impact in the future. create such a stark contrast to the Most of all, it shows hard work Newcastle United we saw at the by Howe, his backroom staff, and very beginning of the season. the owners, to quickly make a Howe has proven himself to be change at the club and raise spirits the correct choice for Newcastle once again. Success in the Premier and it seems like his magic touch League is built off of team spirit as has returned, continuing to well as close relationships within surprise teams with the energy the team, and Howe has made an that he has injected into this impressive impact in such a short Newcastle team, and he should be amount of time. applauded for This is partly this. “We’re now a long due to the drastic With an term project with high formation change upcoming aspirations. Just looking as well as assigning s u m m e r at social media will show players into new transfer you how positive the roles in the team. w i n d o w dressing room is now, The club have ahead and when beforehand it would transitioned from a potentially have turned players dull defensive 5 at millions of away” the back formation pounds worth into a more attacking 4-3-3, of investment available to Howe, expertly making use of attacking we could see Newcastle storming midfielders and fast wing players. up the table at the start of next Howe has also made some player season, perhaps even seeing the
rebuilds is that clubs may not hit the ground running smoothly;
switches, for example moving Brazilian striker Joelinton into
Kieran Trippier Defender
Tripper swapped the sun of Madrid for the relegation scrapping Magpies - and prior to picking up a long term injury was given the captains armband, showing Howe’s trust in the right-back.
club battle with the big six clubs for a spot in a European competition.
Matt Targett
Dan Burn
Targett has bundles of Premier League experience and has already cemented his place as the club’s first choice left-back, partnering well with his fellow countryman Trippier.
Burn was born and raised just outside of Newcastle, so will be delighted with the oppurtunity to play for his local club. At 6”7, he will offer the Magpies a strong aerial threat.
Defender
It’s been fascinating to watch Newcastle this season. The club has a rich history and is a fascinating project to observe. This is mainly due to the fact that they have suffered greatly these past few seasons and have bounced in and out of form. The fans don’t deserve years of mediocrity under an owner that clearly lost his passion for the club, seeking only to find ways to profit off of it. So far the new ownership have been incredibly respectful of the club and seem content to listen to the fans and supporters regarding moving the club upwards, and I’ve been impressed by the decisions they’ve made so far. For example, Newcastle for years had Ashley’s ‘Sports Direct’ branding plastered all over their stadium for years, leading to many running jokes over the branding and Ashley’s influence on the club. Seeing that branding being removed with the changing of ownership was something I enjoyed watching. It restored the ground to its former glory and more closely highlighted the grandness of their ground and stadium. I hope Newcastle continue on this path and I’m intrigued to see how they transition further as they seek to return to the club’s glory days once again.
Defender
Bruno Guimarães Midfielder
Brazillian midfielder Guimarães has immense potential in terms of creativity and ability, and cost the club only £30 million. His first goal for the club came against Southhampton, scoring with a stunning backheel.
Chris Wood Striker
Wood had a long and successful stint at Burnley before being snapped up by Howe. He has been placed straight into the team and looks to be the striker Howe wants to lead his attacking line.
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