When Newcastle United were bought by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, the Reuben Brothers and PCP Capital Partners in 2021, finishing 12th in the Premier League in 2026 was not on the agenda. Yes, some of the claims made in the wake of the purchase were, in hindsight, unachievable, but for the club to have regressed to a bottom half side is indeed a failure.
That said, the period up until the 2025/26 campaign has been nothing short of a remarkable success. Two Champions League qualifications and winning the Carabao Cup represent a stark contrast to the club that was happy to tread water in the top flight under the previous ownership. So, what has gone wrong in the last year, and more importantly, what can be done to steer the ship back on course?
Off-Pitch: Newcastle must act more professionally
It perhaps feels strange not to start with the on-field issues that plagued Newcastle’s previous campaign, but given that so much in football in the modern world is dictated by what happens in the boardroom, it is therefore more fitting to begin there.
Last summer was nothing short of a disaster for Newcastle United. In Paul Mitchell, they had a departing Sporting Director who did not help in their transfer exploits up until June. They then failed to replace him quickly enough, meaning that the rest of the window was navigated by Eddie Howe and Andy Howe, with clubs they wanted to do business with unsure who the point of contact was. They also had no Chief Executive Officer, with Darren Eales having departed to focus on his cancer treatment.
This meant that they were going into deals for players under equipped, and competing against clubs with better structures in place. That coupled with Newcastle being unable to match wages offered by the other parties created an ongoing situation in which they kept missing out on their targets. It culminated with Newcastle’s squad depth increasing, but their overall quality reducing, especially when they eventually blinked and sold Alexander Isak.
They now have David Hopkinson and Ross Wilson in place as CEO and Sporting Director, respectively, and there is already evidence that their know-how was of benefit in the recent sale of Anthony Gordon. Wilson made clear that “conversations involving the club, led by David Hopkinson and myself, as well as Anthony’s representatives, have been conducted confidentially and with a great deal of professionalism on all sides.” That is more promising.
Replacing Gordon (as well as strengthening several other positions) is what comes next though, and many will hope that Newcastle have learnt lessons regarding their ability, or rather non-ability, to match big wages offered by other clubs for top ‘Premier League proven’ players. It cost them dear last summer, and there is word that the upcoming transfer window will see the club revert to a policy of bringing in players from the continent who are already good but can be developed, similar to Sven Botman, Bruno Guimarães and Sandro Tonali when they first arrived.
Of course, it was understandable why Newcastle were attempting to sign top level players last summer, given their need to improve the starting lineup and compete on several fronts. However, given the reality of their comparative revenue income to the ‘big six’, that still remains difficult.
Therefore, until Newcastle are matching the revenue streams of those clubs, they must box clever in regard to incomings. That being said, CEO Hopkinson has set out a very public aim that the club will be elite by 2030. This seems unlikely, and perhaps he would have been better off adding five years onto his plan, but regardless, the pace of off-field decisions must be quicker, including transfers.
Announcements for a new training ground and new stadium (or renovation and extension of St. James’ Park) have been ‘imminent’ for far too many months now, almost to the point where the word ‘imminent’ seemingly must have a different definition in the dictionary at St. James’ Park.
If Hopkinson and the rest are able to come together this summer, and in the months following, and show real, tangible progress, then the boardroom will finally be able to back what is happening on the pitch.
On-Pitch: Newcastle must become more versatile
There are many criticisms of Newcastle United’s Premier League performances that could be mentioned here, but in short, they boil down to two glaring issues: a lack of creativity and versatility going forward, and a defence that has become far too leaky.
Starting in attack, Newcastle have simply become far too predictable for much of the season. The 4-3-3 system that served them so well in the first four years post-takeover has faced criticism for becoming too rigid and passive. Eddie Howe has experimented with small tweaks, such as playing Nick Woltemade in something of a partnership with either Yoane Wissa or William Osula, but stuck with his tried and tested formation for much of the campaign.
When asked by North East Football TV in January about finding new ways to break teams down, Howe responded by saying that “I’ve had a couple of questions where people think we play the same way every game, and nothing could be further from the truth. We have a game plan for every single game and those game plans are different”. He then added that they have always liked to switch to a 4-4-2 style off the ball, but whatever has been the case, it has been far too easy for teams to defend against.
To that point, Newcastle’s lack of creativity in both wide areas and attacking midfield has not helped them, and they must address that in the transfer window and be brave in finding a new style that can suit their talents.
This isn’t to say that the 4-3-3 style is dead, far from it in fact. There will always be opponents where pressing and transitions can win games, but as has often become the case, winning against sides who sit deep requires more creativity in advanced areas, and not sheer pace and power.
Then there is the issue of defence. In Howe’s first full season on Tyneside, the Magpies boasted one of the meanest defensive records in the Premier League, making this drop-off all the more remarkable. Not many from Newcastle’s defensive cohort can boast that they had a good season in the previous campaign, and even those who did, such as Malick Thiaw and Lewis Hall, experienced drop-offs in the final few weeks.
Fabian Schär’s injury certainly did not help, and news of a one year contract extension for the Swiss defender is welcome, but Newcastle will do well to cut out the individual errors that cost them many goals last season. That includes those from the goalkeeping department.
Of course, much of this comes down to what can be done in the transfer window, and then in pre-season, highlighting again the importance of getting the off-field situation right in order to aid what happens on-field. Eddie Howe will know that, but he must also know that some of his in-game decision making must be better. Several substitutions felt pre-planned last season, like-for-like on too many occasions that did not positively impact the way Newcastle were playing during matches. With the benefit of more options, it will be hoped that Howe can be braver, but it again comes back to whether he is able to add versatility to the way in which Newcastle set up to break teams down.
Supporter satisfaction
With the main points that will contribute to how Newcastle United perform dealt with, there are now only a few smaller issues to contend with that would please supporters. Firstly, the club must improve the way that the atmosphere generates ahead of kick off. Admittedly, they have already made a positive start, by adding a new safe-standing section in Level 7 next to the away fans, but more can be done.
Whilst I cannot speak for all inside of St. James’ Park, the removal of ‘Hey Jude’ as a pre-match walkout song would likely go down well with many. Yes, people join in given the ease at which the accompanying chant is sung, but there are many more songs and artists from the North East that could be used. ‘Home Newcastle’ and ‘The Blaydon Races’ (although not the current iteration) should be made more prominent, and sung as one, whilst numbers from AC/DC, Dire Straits, even The Police or Lindisfarne could be used more often. And, whilst Sam Fender is popular, the club should not rely so heavily on him and his tunes.
Other clubs also have ‘hype videos’ pre-match played on the big screens, and whilst the name is slightly cringeworthy, they work. Take Sunderland for example. Their use of Granit Xhaka speaking ahead of kick off is rather rousing. Newcastle are installing more big screens inside of St. James’ Park for next season, so why not put them to good use?
Finally, more could be done to benefit loyal, match-going supporters too. Whilst it is understandable that Newcastle need to enhance their global brand, there could be more opportunities for those who commit plenty of time and money following the club week-in, week-out, to be involved with campaigns or to meet their heroes.
Is it all possible?
The short answer is yes, it should be. If Newcastle want to be the best, as David Hopkinson has made abundantly clear, they need to start acting like it, or at least make explicit their progress, and willingness to adapt and improve.
Naturally, what happens on the pitch will dictate the feeling in and around the club next season, but that, alongside everything else mentioned, can go a long way to making sure that Newcastle one day do become the club that it wishes to be.
