The Newcastle United owners have been in charge for just over three years. They bought the club from Mike Ashley on October 7, 2021. Eddie Howe was appointed a month later, taking over after Steve Bruce was sacked. In ten days, it will mark three years for Howe at the club.
Steve Bruce’s last match was on October 17, 2021, against Tottenham, where Newcastle lost 3-2. They only had one shot on target during that match. The final squad included players like Darlow, Manquillo, and Lascelles.
When Eddie Howe arrived in November 2021, many believed Newcastle would be relegated. This would have marked the third time in 13 Premier League seasons under Mike Ashley. The club was in a bad state, needing major changes after the poor management and lack of investment from the previous ownership.
Many players from Bruce’s last squad have since left the club. Only a few could be sold for any real money. ASM was sold for £23 million, but the others brought in just around £5 million collectively. Most left for free or needed to be paid off. Only Shelvey and Darlow generated any transfer fees.
In addition to those players, Hayden and Gillespie are still at Newcastle but will not bring in transfer fees. The reality was that few players could be sold to generate funds for reinvestment. Since the takeover, the only significant fee received was £15 million for Chris Wood. Newcastle had to pay £25 million for him earlier due to a lack of available strikers when Wilson got injured. Wood helped the team survive that season with his hard work and support for other players.
Eddie Howe also inherited players like Paul Dummett and Matty Longstaff. Most of the players who have moved on since then have gone to lower leagues. Despite this, Howe has managed to get good performances from players like Sean Longstaff and Almiron. However, many players have to perform at their peak every match, and this level cannot last indefinitely.
Newcastle needed major investment, and the owners have indeed bought a new team over the past three years. The total spent on new players is around £369 million. While this sounds like a lot, it is not when compared to the previous 15 years of neglect under Ashley.
For example, Chelsea has spent over £1.5 billion in just five transfer windows, building a deep squad with immense financial backing. Their entire second team alone has cost close to half a billion pounds. This is the challenge Newcastle faces as they work within financial constraints. They had to sell young talents to comply with regulations.
Currently, Newcastle struggles with injuries, as their depth is limited. Other teams can withstand injuries better due to their strong bench players. The current squad is not yet at a level comparable to top teams.
Looking ahead, it will take a few more years and several transfer windows before Newcastle can build a competitive squad. The club must make wise recruitment decisions during this time to improve. The bottom line is that Newcastle United still has a long way to go to reach their potential and compete effectively in the Premier League.
