Newcastle were taken over by a Saudi-led consortium in 2021, taking over from previous owner Mike Ashley.
This has sparked massive change at the club since, hiring Eddie Howe to oversee a transition from the bottom half of the Premier League, all the way to Champions League football.
The Magpies spent the best part of £155m in the 2022/23 campaign, before spending a further £128m in the 2023/24 season after qualifying for Champions League football, in an attempt to ready their squad for the demands of extra games.
Last season, Newcastle struggled last season, finishing seventh on 60 points, and only missing out on UEFA Conference League due to Manchester United’s FA Cup triumph. The aim now is to return to European football ready for the next campaign.
But who will still be here in a year? They will be fighting tooth and nail to keep Alexander Isak but another big-name player could head for the exit door.
Alexander Isak at Newcastle
One of, if not the clubs biggest successes in the transfer market since the new ownership took over, is Isak, who joined for a club-record fee of £63m from Real Sociedad back in 2022. Isak made 27 appearances in his debut season for the Magpies, scoring ten goals, providing three assists, and totaling 1680 minutes played.
His second season at the club came with further success, making 40 appearances in all competitions, scoring 25 goals, providing two assists, and totaling 2,973 minutes, with many now viewing Isak as one of the best strikers in the division.
The 25-year-old striker is now in his third season at the club, and is seen as one of their prized assets, earning a sizeable £120k-p/w according to Capology.
However, there is another player at the club who is earning the same wages, but not quite performing to the desired standard.
Kieran Trippier's time to go
Another player who arrived at the club in their new project under new ownership is Kieran Trippier, who joined the Toon back in January 2022 for a fee of around £12m plus add-ons from Atletico Madrid.
But despite the 34-year-old being a brilliant servant in his years at the club, his time could be coming to an end at The Toon, having dropped a poor performance against Fulham last weekend, one that was marked as a 4/10 by the Chronicle.
Trippier is earning as much as the star man, Isak, per week, making £120k, but with Valentino Livramento ready to take over as the starting right-back, the England international’s wages become more feasible to offload, as Newcastle continue to build their squad for the future.
Progressive Carries
0.67
0.57
Progressive Passes
4.67
0.86
Key Passes
0.67
0.29
Tackles
2.00
2.57
Blocks
0.00
3.14
Interceptions
0.45
0.71
Aerials Won
2.00
1.43
Whilst Trippier is still putting up good passing numbers and creative numbers (something he will always do due to his set piece threat), Livramento is adding far more in the sense of athleticism, speed, and recovery speed for defending transitions.
Livramento adds far more defensive actions per 90 minutes than Trippier, whilst not losing too much attacking threat, as whilst the elder defender offers precise passing, the former Southampton man offers a bombing overlap option to help support Harvey Barnes on the right wing.
As Livramento begins to take over the right-back spot, phasing out Trippier, it may be time for Newcastle to move their high earner on, saving money, and allowing the younger option the keys to that position on a full-time basis.
Newcastle flop who left for £15m has been even better than Isak this season
He left for just £15m in 2023.
ByJoe NuttallSep 24, 2024