Newcastle United's decision-making process in the James Maddison deal would have alarmed some supporters before the takeover.
From the outside, it looks like Newcastle finished second in a two-horse race for the England international. But the reality is Maddison was always just one of a list of exciting candidates in this summer's transfer quest. What happened after the Maddison deal at Newcastle is key. They simply pushed on with the process to fill one of their squad spaces - it was an easy decision too.
The Magpies have shown before that there is life after certain targets. Not least last summer when they started the window with Jesse Lingard on their wish list before quickly realising the player had his heart on a move elsewhere.
