Newcastle’s meteoric rise in the first 18 months of the new era under the control of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund has seen the Magpies’ progress stall this season. Eddie Howe’s side are tenth in the Premier League with 10 games remaining and the club’s hopes of a first major trophy since 1969 have been dashed. AFP Sport looks at what went wrong on Tyneside.
Rules limit spending
In a season where the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) come into play, few clubs have been as affected as Newcastle.
Newcastle’s reliance on newfound wealth from the Gulf has been limited, in contrast to Abu Dhabi’s huge early investment in English champions Manchester City.
Despite qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, Newcastle, which spent more than £250 million ($315 million) in the first three transfer windows under the new owner, must still be careful to avoid exceeding the PSR.
Chief executive Darren Eales admits they may even need to offload a valuable asset in the summer if they are to invest again in the squad, with Bruno Guimarães and Alexander Isak both linked with moves.
After the club posted a £73m loss for the 2022/2023 season, Iles said: “If we want to get where we want to go, sometimes it’s necessary to trade players.”
Injuries and Suspensions
To add insult to injury, Newcastle spent over £100m in the 2023 summer transfer window but received little in return.
Most of the transfer budget was spent on Italy international Sandro Tonali, but he only played 12 games for the club before being banned for eight months for gambling offenses while playing for AC Milan.
Another key signing, Harvey Barnes, is one of a number of key players who have been sidelined for several months through injury.
England internationals Nick Pope and Callum Wilson have missed much of the season, while Joelinton and Sven Botman will miss the rest of the campaign.
Newcastle’s season was derailed during a difficult period in December and January as injuries mounted.
Howe’s side have lost eight of 10 games, been knocked out of the Champions League group stage, lost on penalties to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and dropped down the Premier League table.
a tough draw
In the cup competition, “Fortune” definitely does not favor Newcastle.
They finished bottom of the Champions League group stage, with opponents including quarter-finalists Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, as well as seven-time Champions League champions AC Milan.
In the Carabao Cup, they were eliminated at Stamford Bridge after beating Manchester City and Manchester United in the first round.
The quest for FA Cup glory ended with a 2-0 loss to Manchester City.
Ashworth Uncertainty
Of further long-term concern for Newcastle is the death of sporting director Dan Ashworth.
The 53-year-old is on gardening leave awaiting the green light to join United after being poached by Jim Ratcliffe’s new regime at Old Trafford.
Howe expressed concern over what Ashworth’s exit would mean for his side’s plans in the transfer market.
Has Hao reached his limit?
The manager’s future is also in doubt, with Jose Mourinho rumored to be keen on a return to the Premier League at St James’ Park.
Mourinho was seen meeting Newcastle chairman Yasser Al-Rumayan, chairman of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, during a recent trip to Saudi Arabia for a high-profile sporting event.
Howe is widely welcomed by Newcastle fans for steering the club out of a relegation battle and into the top four of the Premier League.
But he lacks the trophy-laden resume that the Saudis may be looking for in the next phase of their project in north-east England.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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