Eddie Howe has admitted that it is up to Newcastle United to continue to 'prove' that the era of the big six is over - and that they now belong amongst the Premier League's elite.
With just five games to go, Newcastle are flying in third place and on course to return to the Champions League for the first time since 2003. If Newcastle manage to get over the line, the Magpies will be the first side since Leicester City to upset the established order.
Although Leicester only had a single season at Europe's top table, after winning the Premier League in 2016, Newcastle have the backing to not only seriously strengthen once again this summer but, also, hold onto their key players. That makes this a very different threat to the hegemony that the top-flight's traditional big hitters have enjoyed for years now.
