"That was definitely something we felt in the market. Domestic clubs didn't want to be seen to be helping us. We'll have to take that, that is part of where we are at the moment." That was Eddie Howe's response in September 2022 when, just days after the transfer window had closed, he was asked if Premier League clubs were starting to see Newcastle United as a threat.
Days, or even hours earlier, Chelsea had shut the door in their face after proposed moves for the likes of Christian Pulisic, Conor Gallagher and Hakim Ziyech. Nobody believed it would be Newcastle finishing fourth months later, while Chelsea lay in 12th.
Howe continued: "We have certainly found there is no-one there ready to do us a favour. It's the narrative regarding us that has changed. If there is anything domestically, teams will put their price up if it is Newcastle. There is a real feeling of us internally knowing we are against everybody else. That is healthy and I would embrace that."
If that was then, what will it be like this summer?
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Much has been made of Newcastle's current pursuit of relegated players. The likes of James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and James Ward-Prowse remain on the shopping list as Howe, and his sporting director Dan Ashworth, looks to pickpocket the three clubs who now only have Championship football to offer next season.
But despite Newcastle now being seen as a real threat at the top end of the table, Howe and his backroom team should still feel inclined to try their luck with the Premier League's biggest sides in the hope of snatching some bargain buys.
This summer there promises to be a lot of movement at Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United as they each jostle to give themselves the best shot at a title charge next term. Firstly there is Chelsea, the club that need to sell like no other.
A radical experiment was undertaken by Todd Boehly when he arrived in England. His plan was to get the chequebook and blow the other clubs out of the water. That will not work in modern football unless you balance the books.
After the arrival of Badashile, Mudryk, Madueke, Fernandez, Fofana, Cucurella, Sterling, Aubameyang, Koulibaly and more, there will be the need to offload the likes of Mount, Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic, Ziyech, Broja, Havertz and more. The Blues may have resisted last summer - but they will be desperate for suitors this time around.
Arsenal are another planning a fire sale. Chronicle Live understands Newcastle are still pushing for a Kieran Tierney deal, with the Gunners needed to offload players as Mikel Arteta plots a revamp.
Arsenal are going all out in pursuit of BOTH Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo this summer, leading to the expected departures of Tierney, Granit Xhaka, Folarin Balogun, Cedric Soares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Charlie Patino and Nicolas Pepe.
Manchester United have grand plans too. The Red Devils are in takeover limbo but still plan to ship out Dean Henderson, Scott McTominay, Anthony Elanga, Donny van de Beek, Harry Maguire and others. Newcastle have previously expressed an interest in McTominay as they try to shore up their midfield.
Liverpool have already done a lot of their decluttering, allowing four veterans to leave the club before the summer window even opens. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Roberto Firmino are currently searching for pastures new.
I'm not suggesting Newcastle go for every single aforementioned name... but there are surely some on the list that spark intrigue? Is it time to test the waters at the top end of the Premier League as well as the bottom?
Newcastle's scouts have pulled off masterstrokes in recent months, poaching Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Sven Botman from across Europe. Ashworth and his team will be searching every avenue, across multiple leagues, but there may be some decent options close to home too.
