Newcastle United are enjoying a season to remember. The Magpies, only 12 months on from their takeover from a Saudi consortium, have gone from a dismal relegation-threatened outfit to the dizzying heights of the top four, on the verge of European football returning to St James Park for the first time in over 20 years.
Eddie Howe and co are building something special in the North East, and while things are happening so fast it might take time before they truly reflect on what has been a wonderful maiden year. The hub of it all — exceptional recruitment. While brining in Chris Wood for £25 million seemed expensive, it weakened relegation candidates Burnley, with the Clarets ultimately facing the drop at their expense. Other moves for Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes, now one of the best midfielders in the league, served a key purpose in keeping Newcastle in the Premier League.
The addition of Nick Pope between the sticks and Sven Botman at the back have made the Magpies mean and with the most clean sheets in the league at the time of writing, it’s a back four we could see make trips abroad come next season. But how does this team evolve? Ultimately Newcastle have the cash to spend and while the players that initially arrived at St James Park were a stepping stone, you wonder how long it will take before genuinely world class players begin to arrive through the door.
With Newcastle still in need of an elite holding midfielder and perhaps some reinforcement for the creativity of Miguel Almiron, there’s still areas of the squad that need addressing and players we can take a look at which they could sign next season if they do reach the top four in the Premier League, and even get tipped for the title amongst a late flurry of Premier League winner odds.
A move for Enzo Fernandez seems ambition now, with the Benfica man more likely to join Chelsea or Liverpool, but his Portuguese partner Florentino Luís looks the perfect man for the job. The 23-year-old is the perfect profile to work with Guimaraes, and his tall frame and tough tackling are a great fit for the physicality of the Premier League.
The Magpies were also linked with James Maddison over the summer and could pursue the Leicester man again if the Foxes continue to struggle. It’s been an indifferent campaign for Brendan Rodgers and his team at the King Power Stadium, and while they might have scathed off relegation talks for this season, the pull of Europe could be enough to convince Maddison to leave the East Midlands, despite Rodgers confident he can keep one of his main men after the World Cup.
“He’s a top player. But I’ve been given no indication that we have to do anything with James in January.,” he said. “My focus is on improving the squad – that’s what I want to do.”
“He had a real taste of where he wants to be – and knows the work needed to be there. There was no negativity at all, he understood his role – if he wasn’t playing, he had to be a good team player.
“The England staff could see him over a prolonged period and see the maturity that he has now. I’m sure he was good for the group spirit as well.”
Only time will tell if Newcastle reach the promised land of Europe’s elite, but given their financial war chest of transfer windows gone by, they should be more than kitted up to welcome the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid to Tyneside.