In the transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur completed the acquisition of midfielder Sandro Tonali from Newcastle, while Anthony Gordon moved to Barcelona, and Bruno Guimarães left 'The Magpies' to join Premier League champion Arsenal.
Newcastle United's main problem heading into the new Premier League season may not lie with the players they signed, but with those they lost. The departure of Eddie Howe, along with Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali, and Anthony Gordon, who together left for over £200 million (4.3 billion rials), is a serious blow. Moreover, the club lost three players who constituted a significant part of the team's quality, experience, and attacking potential.
This departure occurred just one year after Alexander Isak moved to Liverpool on a British record contract worth £125 million, having spent his fifth Premier League season at Newcastle, during which he scored 23 goals.
Over the last twelve months, Newcastle spent time dismantling much of the attacking and creative core that helped Howe turn the club into a Champions League contender. Nevertheless, the club was not inactive: Amad Diallo arrived from Benfica for approximately £30 million (657.9 million rials), winger Bazuma Touré cost £42 million (921 million rials) from Hoffenheim, and defensive midfielder Aladji Bamba joined from Monaco for £30 million. Central midfielder Sean Sturridge was also signed from Ajax for £20 million.
Despite significant investments, the issue is that acquisitions and replacements are not the same thing. None of the new players have yet demonstrated the ability to replicate the level of performance and impact of the players Newcastle lost. They may ultimately prove to be excellent signings, but the potential differs greatly from proven quality.
Therefore, the question of whether Newcastle are genuine relegation candidates no longer seems as absurd as it might have seemed a few months ago. Although their relegation would still be a surprise, given the amount of Premier League experience and quality remaining in the squad, and the financial muscle behind the club, the safety margin has significantly decreased.
Mattias Jisse has taken over a club undergoing a deep reboot. The Howe era gave Newcastle something more valuable than just results: a clear identity, continuity, and a group of players who clearly understood what was expected of them. Now Jisse must restore all of this.
The new manager acknowledged the leadership vacuum created by the departures. His task is to turn this chaos into an opportunity, rather than letting it become a weakness. This is easier said than done.
The Premier League has become increasingly harsh on established clubs that lose their direction. Last season served as a particularly sharp warning when Wolverhampton and West Ham were relegated alongside promoted Burnley. However, the cycle with promoted clubs, which became a feature of recent seasons, has finally been broken: Leeds comfortably avoided relegation, and Sunderland achieved even more by finishing seventh and qualifying for Europe.
Now Coventry City, Ipswich Town, and Hull City have the advantage of knowing that survival is not necessarily out of reach for a recently promoted club. At the same time, well-known clubs like Wolverhampton and West Ham have shown that Premier League prestige does not provide protection. This should worry Newcastle. They may have more resources and a stronger squad than the trio of promoted teams, but the difference between a comfortable Premier League club and one fighting relegation is less than reputation suggests.
Tottenham Hotspur can serve as an example in this regard. Last season, Tottenham looked like a relegation candidate for a long time, ultimately finishing 17th. However, the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi helped stabilize the club, and Tottenham responded with major spending this summer, signaling a renewed ambition.
This creates an intriguing contrast: Newcastle starts the season having lost its manager and several of its most influential players. Tottenham enters the season with a new manager, significant investment, and a feeling that it is finally moving in a different direction. Nothing guarantees success, but momentum matters.
When the Saudi Arabian acquisition deal happened at Newcastle, comparisons to Manchester City's transformation were inevitable. However, the financial rules of the modern Premier League made a simple repetition of City's rise impossible, and Newcastle never became the superpower many expected. This comparison now seems increasingly irrelevant. The main question is much simpler: can Newcastle recover quickly enough so that their wonderful rise under Howe does not turn into a story about how quickly a Premier League project can collapse?