It was a statement signing that proved to be the catalyst for a transfer spend in excess of £200 million over the year. Newcastle saw off competition from AC Milan for Sven Botman, sealed a club-record deal for Alexander Isak in the summer, and pulled off a mid-season coup for Bruno Guimaraes.
But there has been no signing so far which epitomises the Magpies' transformation in a little over a year better than Kieran Trippier. The England international was the first player to commit to the new project on Tyneside, and the standards set since has earned the full-back a place in the running for Newcastle United Fans’ Footballer of the Year.
Newcastle's newfound wealth saw superstars such as Gareth Bale and Phillipe Coutinho linked at the same time as pundits expressing their doubts over who would join a seemingly doomed club. Eddie Howe's had won just once all season, but managed to convince Trippier to swap life with the La Liga champions for relegation dogfight.
