Premier League 2025-26 Preview No 15: Newcastle United

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 7th (NB: this is not needfully Louise Taylor’s prediction but nan mean of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 5th

Prospects

A Champions League run beckons and location is nan Carabao Cup to take sides but nan removal of Alexander Isak’s image from nan windows of Newcastle’s nine shop astatine St James’ Park is emblematic of a troubled Tyneside summer. As if nan Sweden striker’s determination to skip nan club’s circuit of Singapore and South Korea while trying to unit a move to Liverpool was not bad enough, a succession of transportation targets person turned Newcastle down.

Hugo Ekitiké, Bryan Mbeumo, João Pedro, James Trafford and Benjamin Sesko opted to move to Liverpool, London aliases Manchester arsenic nan mostly Saudi Arabian-owned nine operated without a sporting head and main executive. The bully news is that Eddie Howe is an fantabulous coach and possesses plentifulness of high-calibre players, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães, Anthony Elanga, Joelinton and Anthony Gordon foremost among them. Throw successful nan arrivals of Anthony Elanga, Aaron Ramsdale and, almost certainly, Malick Thiaw and past season’s starting XI has been fortified successful goal, cardinal defence and connected nan correct wing.

The request for a mates of strikers and, supra all, a solution to Isak’s flirtation pinch Liverpool remains pressing. Howe’s admittance that he “wants players that really want to play for this shot club” suggests nan head has had capable of Isak but overmuch depends connected nan expected impending financial haggling betwixt Newcastle’s owners and nan Anfield board. Meanwhile Newcastle person grounded to triumph a pre-season fixture. “It’s been a challenging summer,” Howe reflected. “But immoderate play tin spell 1 of 2 ways. Things are ne'er arsenic bully aliases arsenic bad arsenic you think. At nan infinitesimal I’m very neutral. I judge that from reliable moments you tin build thing moreover much typical than you had before.”

The manager

Any concerns that Howe could flounder distant from his south-coast comfortableness area person been good and genuinely banished during nan adjacent 4 years nan erstwhile Bournemouth head has spent connected Tyneside. The workaholic 47-year-old is an outstanding coach who, successful nan people of starring Newcastle into nan Champions League for nan 2nd clip successful 3 seasons and choreographing nan Carabao Cup triumph, has improved a bid of players beyond measure. Joelinton’s startling metamorphosis from struggling centre-forward to gamechanging midfielder is testament to Howe’s talents. Although an excellent, highly articulate communicator, Newcastle’s piano-playing head does not dispense spot easy and, publically astatine least, is simply a maestro of circumspection.

Off-field picture

Despite nan gargantuan wealthiness of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Newcastle’s comparatively skinny commercialized gross streams dictate their spending is restricted by Premier League profitability and sustainability rules. Fans, and immoderate players, are disappointment by nan Saudis’ nonaccomplishment to present a caller training ground, and a determination arsenic to whether to revamp St James’ Park aliases build a caller stadium keeps being postponed. It does not thief that nan nine person spent nan past 11 months seeking a caller main executive aft nan outgoing Darren Eales’s humor crab test and person been without a sporting head this summertime successful nan aftermath of Paul Mitchell’s abrupt exit successful June, aft little than a twelvemonth successful nan job. Since nan ousting of nan erstwhile number proprietor Amanda Staveley and her husband, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, past summertime nan deficiency of an Arabist and/or an executive conversant pinch Saudi business civilization successful Newcastle’s UK level has created an evident disconnect.

Star signing

The £55m signing of Elanga from Nottingham Forest ends Howe’s long-running quest for a caller correct winger. “I want to showcase my talent,” says nan rapid-dribbling 23-year-old Sweden international. “I’m pacey and direct. I tin play connected either side, I tin play arsenic a striker. I tin usage some feet. I’ve sewage tons of weapons. I cognize nan gaffer and unit present tin return my crippled to different level. What we want to achieve, really we want to play, it’s perfect. What we’re building present is unsocial and special. As soon arsenic I knew astir Newcastle’s liking it was a nary brainer.” Howe has agelong been impressed by a subordinate whose solitary activity connected his near ft during lockdown has near Elanga two-footed. “I’ve sewage a saying wherever I’m precise, not rushed,” says nan erstwhile Manchester United winger. “It’s a French saying, precis pas précipité, thing I spell by a lot. In my life, I’ve ne'er rushed anything.”

Anthony Elanga has said it was a ‘no brainer’ to subordinate Newcastle this summer. Photograph: Adam Vaughan/EPA

Stepping up

Lewis Miley is 19 but looks very overmuch nan complete midfielder and holds 2 England Under-21 caps. After breaking into Newcastle’s first squad during nan 2023-24 campaign, a 6ft 2in subordinate pinch an oculus for goal, arsenic astatine location successful a protect aliases attacking midfield role, was restricted to 14 appearances past season. If a backmost wounded was partially responsible, nan champion youngster to look from Newcastle’s academy for a very agelong clip faced stiff completion from Tonali, Guimarães and Joelinton for a starting spot successful Howe’s midfield trinity. The demands of a Champions League run should create much opportunities this word erstwhile Miley tin show he is tin of providing existent title for Guimarães and co.

A large play for …

At 27 Aaron Ramsdale has suffered 3 relegations from nan Premier League (with Bournemouth, Sheffield United and Southampton), been bought by Arsenal for £30m and won 5 England caps. He joins connected indebtedness from Southampton and will compete pinch Nick Pope for a starting place. Howe, Ramsdale’s aged Bournemouth manager, admires his footwork and regards his erstwhile protege arsenic nan benignant of goalkeeper needed to beforehand Newcastle’s stylistic evolution. But is Ramsdale really a amended all-round keeper than Pope? Can he recapture nan shape that erstwhile made him Arsenal’s first choice? And tin he assuage Newcastle’s disappointment astatine seeing Manchester City hijack their move for Trafford, nan talented erstwhile Burnley goalkeeper?