Nickname: The Magpies
Stadium: St. James’ Park (Capacity 52,405)
Manager: Eddie Howe
Last Season: 11th
Notable Transfers
| IN | OUT |
| Sven Botman (LOSC Lille) €37m | Isaac Hayden (Norwich City) LOAN |
| Matt Targett (Aston Villa) €17.5m | Jeff Hendrick (Reading) LOAN |
| Nick Pope (Burnley) €11.5m | Ciaran Clark (Sheffield United) LOAN |
Style of Play: 4-3-3
When Eddie Howe was appointed last November, the Toon Army were in need of a new attacking style, and with the help of some key January signings, this is exactly what Howe delivered. Utilising a 4-3-3 offensive, possession-focused system, Newcastle cruised to Premier League safety and nearly secured a top-half finish. Due to the success, Howe is likely to stick with his trusted 4-3-3 system this season. Full backs Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett will be vital as they look to link up with forwards Allan Saint-Maximin, Ryan Fraser and target man Chris Wood. In midfield, Joelinton was a revelation last season and he’s set to play a starring role again alongside Brazilian compatriot Bruno Guimaraes.
First Five Fixtures
| Nottingham Forest (H) | Forest haven’t beaten Newcastle in the top flight since 1988. |
| Brighton (A) | Newcastle signed Dan Burn from Brighton back in January. The defender was instrumental in leading the Toon Army to safety. |
| Manchester City (H) | City achieved a 9-0 aggregate win over Newcastle in the league last season. |
| Wolves (A) | Just two points separated these two sides in the league table last season. |
| Liverpool (A) | Newcastle haven’t beaten Liverpool in the Premier League at Anfield since 1994. |
Bruno Guimaraes was at the heart of Newcastle’s revival last season. Since signing for €42.1m back in January, the all-action midfielder had the best goal involvement per minute rate for the Magpies last season, recording six goals and assists. The Brazilian international will be hoping he can pick up where he left off at the end of last season.
Predicted Finish: 7th
Last season’s Toon turnaround was remarkable. When Howe took over, the club were joint bottom and in desperate need of points. But 2022 brought a new lease of life for Newcastle and prior to the start of this campaign, the club would sit 4th in an annual Premier League table. The club’s €120 January spending no doubt helped the cause, but Howe deserves credit for bringing a much-needed buzz and ambition back to St. James’ Park.
With a strong finish to last season and the addition of centre-back Sven Botman, the Toon Army are setting their sights on Europe. However, they will struggle to infiltrate the top-four and a battle for the best of the rest seems the most likely scenario.
Will Newcastle pick up where they left off and mount a European challenge?
Did you know?
No team in Premier League history had ever stayed up after failing to win any of their opening 14 games. But last season Newcastle rewrote the history books and secure safety with four games to spare.
Jack Langford 