What Can Newcastle United Realistically Achieve In The Premier League This Season?

The PremierPINC
League has been braced for Newcastle United’s arrival as a formidable force ever since a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium completed a takeover over the club last year. However, few would have predicted the rapid rise of the St James’ Park outfit with Newcastle sitting third in the table heading into the World Cup break.

Only Liverpool and Manchester City have picked up more Premier League points in 2022 than the Magpies. Their success under Eddie Howe has been sustained over a long period of time, giving weight to the belief that Newcastle United can make their place near the top of the English top flight stick.

“We’re not looking to set out markers,” Howe said after the impressive 1-0 win over Chelsea. “We are just very pleased with how we have dealt with tonight, we executed our defensive game plan really well. We’ve put ourselves in a good position to hopefully kick on.

“The break has probably come at a bad time for us. We’d like the games to continue. There is more to come from individuals within the team. There are exciting times ahead, but nothing is guaranteed in football and that is why the work we do in this period is important.”

Newcastle have spent close to £200m on new players since last year’s takeover. However, that money hasn’t been splashed on big names. Instead, the club has largely targeted young players with the potential to grow and develop further – see the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman.

Guimaraes in particular has set a precedent for Newcastle United in the transfer market. The Brazilian midfielder is destined for the elite level of soccer and is carrying the Magpies with him. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Guimaraes could be in the Champions League next season as a Newcastle player.

And yet Howe has also got much more out of the players he inherited from his predecessor, Steve Bruce. Miguel Almiron was previously widely maligned for his wastefulness and lack of cutting edge in front of goal, but has now scored seven goals in his last eight appearances for the Magpies.

Joelinton is another Newcastle United player who has flourished under Howe with the Brazilian now operating in central midfield after previously playing as a centre forward. Howe has a better grasp of what Joelinton can offer his team in the centre of the pitch and is making good use of the 26-year-old.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been the best two teams in the Premier League so far this season, but the field behind them is wide open and Newcastle United have taken this opportunity to rise up the table. With Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur all struggling for consistent form, the Magpies could end up in the top four by default.

Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules have stopped Newcastle United from spending as much money in the transfer market as they would have liked, but Howe has been their best signing of the new era so far. Champions League qualification would be a symbol of how far the Magpies have come in a very short space of time.