Newcastle United: Dark Horse Top Four Candidate?
As more and more Gameweeks go into the books for the 2022 Premier League campaign, it’s becoming clear that the chalk top four from before the season may not match the table at the end of the year, and teams such as Newcastle United might be a challenge for them.
Perennial powerhouse Liverpool is struggling through the beginning of the season. Manchester United have displayed some promise, but with the team being rebuilt on the fly, it’s likely that they won’t display the fortitude over the full course to make the top four.
The same assessment goes for the newly rejuvenated Arsenal – they’ve started out strong, but it remains to be seen if they’ll keep that form throughout the campaign.
Newcastle United currently sits in 6th place in the table. This weekend, they’re facing Manchester United, who sits one spot above them. With a win over them, Newcastle will demonstrate that they are one of those teams that could challenge for an available spot in Europe.
Recent Magpie History
Newcastle United has been a part of the Premier League since its inception in the 1990s. They have been relegated twice, in 2009 and 2016, but managed to return to the Premier League the next season after.
Unfortunately, most of the true glory years for Newcastle United were in the early 20th century. Most of their league championships and FA Cup victories happened before the 1950s. They have been mostly a mid table team in much of the last 20 years, with one 5th place finish in the Premier League in 2011-12.
Things are looking up for the Magpies because of new investors – namely, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. An ownership group led by the PIF took over the Magpies in 2021, and since then, there’s optimism that management will take the Man City approach, and spend their way into being competitive.
Transfers from New Ownership
A story from earlier this season demonstrated the new ownership’s commitment to the team. After Callum Wilson went down with an injury versus Manchester City, Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan thought he had to do something to inspire the team.
He went out and signed Swedish international Alexander Isak, for a record club transfer fee. Isak, a 23 year old striker, had been pursued by the club for a while, but with the new infusion of ownership cash, they brought him in. He obliged the huge transfer fee by scoring a goal in his debut against Liverpool.
The team has also brought in exciting young talent from Brazil in recent years. Players like Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes have brought a different approach to roster construction at Newcastle.
Transfer rumors have the Magpies linked to Andrey Santos, 18-year-old Brazilian phenom. This kind of creative effort in locating young offensive talent will serve as a good foundation for Newcastle United to build competitive teams for years to come.
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