With Eddie Howe's Newcastle United in a Champions League spot after 12 games, the usual criticism about transfer spend continues to rear its head in debates about the Magpies this season.
Of course, there is no denying Newcastle have spent serious money. £200m in two transfer windows is by no means a small investment. However, six of the starting XI at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday were players Howe inherited from Steve Bruce, plus another two off the bench to boot.
Fabian Schar, Sean Longstaff, Joelinton, Joe Willock, Callum Wilson and of course Miguel Almiron have been imperative to the early season form of the Tyneside outfit. All players who have flourished under the close guidance of Howe and his backroom over the last 12 months.
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While last season was Joelinton's redemption arc, this time around it is the turn of Almiron. Driving at defences with purpose this season, the smiling assassin has netted six games this term, his best tally in a black and white shirt.
Longstaff is enjoying a fine run in the team, while Willock is beginning to find his groove at the top end of the pitch once again. At the back, Schar is also showing the kind of form previously seen under Rafa Benitez.
Howe completely accepts the spending accusations will be levelled at his side as they continue to punch above their weight in the eyes of their top flight counterparts. But the Newcastle boss is adamant the success is being heavily aided by the players who have survived from the previous regime.
"When you associate [the success] with money, it takes away the credit of the players and I will stand up for them and say a lot of the players were here anyway," Howe said on Sunday evening. "The ones we have recruited, I think we recruited wisely. Let’s give the credit to the performance not how the team’s been put together."
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