Newcastle United chiefs have already started work on the exciting prospect of phase two at St James' Park since taking over last autumn. Eddie Howe and his staff are focusing on the main objective of survival in the Premier League in the last 13 games of the season.
However, head of recruitment Steve Nickson is preparing a handover for incoming technical director Dan Ashworth who is hoping to start work in good time for the new season. Nickson could stay on at St James' but has been tasked in finding a long list of transfer targets for next term.
We're at the time of year when fans are being asked to renew season tickets and the question for many during the awful Mike Ashley era was always: "What exactly is the incentive?" But the incentives are now there for all to see after an exciting January is expected to be followed up by an intriguing summer.
