There was once a time when Leicester City were example that most would have liked Newcastle United to follow. Ambitious ownership with real aims of upsetting the established order at the top of the Premier League, a willingness to back a manager to do so, and a board that seemingly understood the fans at the heart of the club were the most important thing.
Under Mike Ashley, this approach was something that Newcastle fans could only dream about. More envious eyes were cast when Leicester City announced plans for a state-of-the-art training complex - while Ashley afforded the previous manager Rafa Benitez nothing more than a lick of paint for the office walls. Leicester City were the benchmark for teams with long-term ambitions for European football.
Top four challenges for Leicester came - and arguably were wasted - but few of the Foxes faithful are left wondering 'what if' given the FA Cup triumph in 2021. The hope of Newcastle following in similar footsteps - spending to achieve, and always looking to improve, was fanciful under Ashley but now things have changed thanks to the October 2021 takeover.
