When Newcastle United’s £300 million takeover was completed in October, no one could blame their fans for dreaming of the heights that the club could go on to reach, but securing their Premier League survival was the first priority following a dreadful start to the season.
Six months on, and that has practically been achieved after a remarkable turnaround in the second half of the campaign. Now, the Magpies can start planning ahead for next season, while their supporters can begin to get excited over who they might sign.
Consolidating a top half finish would be a realistic ideal for some in 2022/23, but according to Bruno Guimaraes’ agent, Newcastle ’s owners are already planning on a top four push next season.
Guimaraes joined the Magpies in January from Lyon in a deal worth up to £40m and made it clear that he chose to move to the north east club over waiting around for the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus, because of the project sold to him by the owners and their exciting ambitions for the future.
His agent, Alexis Malalvolta, told Tutto sport, via Chronicle Live, that part of the club’s ambitious plans revealed to the Brazilian included a top four push - as soon as next season. He said: "He has always been very motivated to accept challenges, he never backs down. Bruno is delighted with the choice made; he feels good.
"His goal was clear from the start: to help the team get out of the relegation zone and take them to the Champions League next season. And, why not, try to win the Premier League. He has already made it clear in his interviews that he went to Newcastle to be a legend like Alan Shearer. He wants to leave his name in the history of the club."
Will Newcastle be capable of pushing for a Champions League spot next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
The Magpies have already flexed their financial muscle by splashing out £95m in the January transfer window to bring in reinforcements to aid their relegation battle, which certainly paid off. The new owners were smart with their signings, but purchasing the likes of Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier bodes well for the future.
With four games to go, Eddie Howe’s side sit in the top half in ninth place, and with 43 points to their name, have created a 14-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone. Should they manage to hold onto the spot in the top 10 by the end of the season, it certainly holds them in good stead heading into the next campaign.
Plenty more cash is expected to be spent this summer, as the Tyneside outfit look to begin building a side capable of competing in the top half and pushing for the European places - the Champions League ones, to be exact. Within a single season, Newcastle could be set to go from a relegation scrap to a top four battle.
If the owners really are set on those ambitions for next season, then that means the Magpies will have to build a side capable of competing with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United to achieve a Champions League place for the 2023-24 campaign.
Those ambitions certainly are remarkable and there may be a few eyebrows raised over whether they can achieve a top four finish as soon as next season, but that is exactly the kind of ambition which brought Guimaraes to the club, as he revealed upon signing in January.
He said: "The owners were very up front that, this season, the idea is to stay in the Premier League but the main objective in the years to come is to be in the Champions League and, eventually, to win the Champions League. It’s already a club with a great tradition, a big history. I have no doubts about my decision to come here. I believe in everything the owners told me about their project."
