Nathan Hartley
Newcastle head into this season with Champions League football. The Toons finished in a remarkable fourth, starting the progress under their new ownership. Can they make more progress this season?
Newcastle will be hoping to secure Champions League football for the consecutive season (Image Credit: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Who's in charge?
Newcastle will still have Eddie Howe as their manager going into the 2023/24 campaign. The English manager has done a remarkable job at Newcastle, utilising the funds being given perfectly and giving an identity to how the Toons play football.
Howe guided the team to an impressive fourth place finish, securing them Champions League football for the 2023/24 season. This is an outstanding achievement considering where the team was at when Howe took over from Steve Bruce back in 2021.
In's and Out's
In's
Sandro Tonali - AC Milan, £62m
Harvey Barnes - Leicester, £42m
Tino Livramento - Southampton, £35m
Yankuba Minteh - Odense BK, £6.5m
Out's
Allan Saint-Maximin - Al-Ahli, £25m
Chris Wood - Nottingham Forest, £15m
Karl Darlow - Leeds United, £250k
Newcastle's standout player
Newcastle had many standout players throughout the entirety of the 2022/23 season. However, I am going to go with a player who has got a point to prove, especially with his price tag. Therefore, I am going to go with Sandro Tonali.
The Italian midfielder was effectively forced out of his previous club AC Milan - without the Italian wanting to leave the club. He would sign for Newcastle in excess of £60 million, putting a lot of pressure on the Italian to perform.
Furthermore, Italians have not had the best of times in the Premier League with the intensity of the game compared to Italian football. The most successful Italian was probably Jorginho whilst the Italian was at Chelsea.
Therefore, I think it is going to be a big season for Tonali, slotting into the heart of Newcastle's midfield. I believe he will be the deciding factor as to whether the Toons have a successful season or not.
Will it be a successful or unsuccessful season for Newcastle?
It is going to be hard for the Toons to improve on their impressive 2022/23 campaign. However, I think their main aim will be to secure Champions League football for the following season, which I do not know if they will be capable of doing.
Teams around them are strengthening, making it a tougher competition for this year's top four places. I think that Newcastle will end up in the Europa League spots this season, which will give a bit of disappointment within the team.
Therefore, I still think Newcastle will have a great year. However, I think they will be just short of Champions League football for the 2024/25 season, making it an unsuccessful one for the Toons.
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