The first change to take place under the new ownership – and arguably the most significant – was replacing Steve Bruce with fellow Englishman Eddie Howe. The former Bournemouth manager wasn’t the board’s first choice, but what an incredible decision he turned out to be!
Howe transformed the struggling side into top-four contenders in such a short space of time, improving every single player in the squad. His leadership is the beating heart of Newcastle’s successes.
The squad itself has changed drastically, with the only pre-takeover player still in the starting XI being Joelinton. The team have welcomed 19 permanent signings, including huge talents Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and captain Bruno Guimaraes. And who could forget Big Dan Burn?
Off the pitch, major commercial changes were made in the last couple of seasons. First, the club brought back Adidas as the kit manufacturer. The German giants are beloved in the city for their iconic 1990s kits, so their return was warmly received.
Following this, the club opened a Stack venue outside St. James’ Park, filled with local food places, football-themed bars and weekly music events. It quickly became a popular entertainment spot, especially on matchdays where fans enjoy the games broadcasted on the giant television screen.
Have these changes paid off? The results speak for themselves. Newcastle have qualified for the Champions League twice in these last four years. They famously battered Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 in 2023, and recently achieved their biggest win in the competition ever, with 4-0 over Union Saint-Gilloise.
However, the club’s biggest achievement so far arrived in March, when Newcastle triumphed 2-1 over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final, winning their first domestic trophy in seventy years. It was a joyous occasion on Tyneside, with the entire city packed for the victory parade.
The morale surrounding the club has never been higher, and the revenue keeps growing and growing, but everything comes at a price. With the increased success of the team, ticket demand has sky-rocketed, leaving many lifelong supporters unable to attend as many games as before.
For those able to access the tickets, rising costs have meant that fans are being priced out of attending games. This issue is widespread across the Premier League, but the takeover has rapidly escalated the problem at Newcastle.
Overall, the greatest change of all is fans daring to dream. It’s been ingrained into many Magpies to never get their hopes too high, but with so much excitement happening on the pitch, it’s very hard not to whistle the Champions League theme on the way to work!