As hard as it may be to believe now, with Newcastle United in the Champions League and Leeds United in the Championship, but on the opening day of the January 2022 transfer window the latter were ahead by five points in the top flight. As Nick Hammond set to work on his one and only window with the Magpies, Newcastle were second from bottom in the table after one win in 19 matches.
Even with the richest ownership group on the planet, make no mistake, that Newcastle side was heading for relegation. That month of business was critical in keeping the dream alive for the Tyneside outfit’s new owners.
Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi and Jamie Reuben knew they had one precious opportunity to stretch their financial muscle and make it count. They trusted Hammond with that responsibility.
