Newcastle United chiefs are already into the planning stage for next summer's transfer window with this season proving to be an earlier than expected education in the Premier League.
If the last two months have taught Eddie Howe, sporting director Dan Ashworth and chief scout Steve Nickson anything, it is the gulf between the top four and the rest of the chasing pack isn't the simple leap many first thought. When Newcastle were flying in autumn, a Champions League place looked like a good bet on Tyneside.
But nailing down a place has proved to be a struggle for Newcastle with just one win in eight and others playing catch up. When United ran out 3-0 winners at Leicester City on Boxing Day they had a seven point lead within the top four.
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At that stage, they were being spoken about as title contenders and Howe said at the turn of the year: "We can do anything. The season is still young enough for all possibilities to exist for us.
"I want the fans to believe we can do anything. My attitude won't change, but I've no problem with the supporters dreaming, talking and speculating about what we can achieve."
As Newcastle go into their last 14 fixtures the two domestic cups are long gone of course, but the Champions League is still up for grabs. Frustratingly as Newcastle have struggled Tottenham Hotspur have staggered over the line into fourth.
But the clear and present danger isn't coming from Daniel Levy's crisis machine Spurs. It is Liverpool who have emerged from the shadows and are hunting down fourth place with the 7-0 win over Manchester United a ridiculous statement of intent last Sunday.
Below Newcastle sides like Fulham, Brentford and Brighton are snapping at their ankles for the Europa spots. Will they be able to keep it up, only time will tell.
Over in Riyadh, the ambitions are as high as the plush skyscrapers that house the club's Saudi-backers PIF. They obviously want Champions League football sooner rather than later.
Getting to the Champions League early not only bolsters the coffers for the summer window but also eases the demands of FFP. After years of scrimping and saving under Mike Ashley, and signing off ill-fitting sponsorship deals that have now shackled Newcastle for the next few years, getting on top of FFP is key.
Co-owner Amanda Staveley said last week: "We inherited very difficult contracts, Fun88 or contracts that were six or seven years in length, which were very much one way. So we were limited by the way in which we could drive our commercial revenues."
Fun88 will be gone soon but Castore seem to be hanging in there despite talk in commercial circles of lucrative interest from Nike, Adidas and Under Armour. The reality is if Newcastle make the Champions League this season they can attract bigger and better all round.
Better sponsorship, better commercial deals and ultimately better players. Some have suggested that Newcastle "aren't ready" for the Champions League and a better fit would be the Europa League or Europa Conference League.
But that after the Lord Mayor's Show feel to both the Europa League and Europa Conference League is there for all to see. Thursday night football and quick turnarounds for Sunday 2pm kick offs was a recipe for a relegation battle back in 2013.
West Ham are the example this season with David Moyes on the brink of the sack as their Europa Conference League campaign has coincided with a relegation tussle. For all their air miles, the Hammers are still at the last 16 stage and would face another six matches to get to the final alone.
Newcastle still have employees from that disastrous season in 2012/13 when ice baths were hired and used between games and how can anybody forget the Tyne-Wear derby just days after Benfica? That day a Newcastle team that were dead on their knees were turned over by Paolo Di Canio and co in a 3-0 defeat.
The season ended with survival in the penultimate match at QPR as Alan Pardew went from manager of the year to a manager in direct conflict with Mike Ashley over the club's demise. In short, going into battle for the season in summer 2012 with just Vurnon Anita as the club's sole summer signing almost backfired in a spectacular manner.
Yet qualifying for the Champions League or the two other competitions beneath them is a double-edged sword. Even Spurs with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min barely laid a glove on a bang-average AC Milan team over two legs.
For all Liverpool's quality, they were beaten heavily by Real Madrid and a glance north of the border at Rangers and Celtic in the Champions League shows you can't just turn up at that level without a squad that can compete. In a season in which Newcastle have moved away from the tag of annual relegation battlers to European contenders, Howe and his team have witnessed the exact level required.
The reality is Newcastle need one of Europe's top strikers, a first class central midfielder and fresh defensive recruits to keep things ticking over at the back. Howe and Ashworth gazed over the Under-21s' clash with West Brom this week but only witnessed a 5-2 capitulation against the Baggies, they must know that immediate improvement is only going to come via a big cheque or two this summer.
Getting into the European spots seems to have been the easy part in many ways. Staying there has been another matter.
Competing in one of the European competitions, whether getting to the Champions League or balancing those demanding Europa League weeks correctly, is absolutely key.
Howe's squad have done well to turn a relegation battle in 2022 into a European challenge in 2023, but the summer will require at least a six or seven player haul, regardless of which competition they end up in.
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