The Newcastle United season preview 2023/24 anticipates one of the most exciting in the club's history, with Champions League football returning to St. James' Park.
Sensible ambition seems to be the mantra from the top, reflected in transfer business which has been pragmatic, not preening – and boy, has it worked. Champions League qualification arrived ahead of schedule; now work is underway to build a squad suited to it.
Newcastle need quality additions around their solid spine of Nick Pope, Sven Botman, Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak, though repeats of last season’s form from pre-takeover players such as Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff and Callum Wilson would be useful – not forgetting Kieran Trippier, who has been a man reborn.
Above all, restocking the trophy cabinet early in the new ownership era is a priority; this season marks 55 years since Newcastle last won a major pot. FourFourTwo previews Newcastle United's Premier League season.
Newcastle United season preview 2023/24: The lesson from last year
Dreams can come true when you hire competent people and galvanise a city and fanbase – ‘uniting’ a club from top to bottom can have dramatic effects on the pitch. However, beware the glare of the top four. “We aren’t here to be popular,” insisted Eddie Howe after his side frustrated Arsenal at the Emirates in January, tempers flaring on the touchline.
His players’ quick mastery of the ‘dark arts’ was rather impressive, but that aspect of their game must be even sharper in Europe; a sore 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa in April was an early warning that teams are sussing how to neutralise Newcastle’s suffocating press.
At least facing Villa again, followed by Manchester City, Liverpool, Brighton and Brentford, all before the Champions League begins, should provide a few stress tests. Gulp
The coach: Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe is so popular that fans even sing songs about his assistant, Jason ‘Mad Dog’ Tindall. Tyneside hasn’t loved its football this much since the days of Kevin Keegan and Bobby Robson; many are of the opinion that Howe’s achievements already surpass the successes of even those eras.
Key player: Bruno Guimaraes
Bruno Guimaraes was absent for six league games last season and Newcastle didn’t win a single one of them. Box-to-box, he’s prolific, breaking up attacks and springing counters, protecting the ball and winning free-kicks. The next steps: getting him higher up the pitch and bringing out his leadership skills.
The mood around Newcastle United
Euphoric. Securing Champions League football and reaching a first cup final in 24 years will do that to a fanbase that just endured a decade and a half of Mike Ashley.
There are queues at the club shop again and ticket demand is so huge that cries to move to a larger stadium or upgrade St James’ Park – already one of England’s 10 biggest stadia – are growing increasingly loud.
One to watch
Elliot Anderson’s attitude and displays in pre-season a year ago convinced Howe that ‘the Geordie Maradona’ was ready for the first team. Luck deserted him: hooked after 24 minutes on his first Premier League start due to Nick Pope’s red card against Liverpool, the 20-year-old then had his first ever goal cruelly ruled out by a very dubious VAR call at Nottingham Forest.
He was identified "by some distance" as Newcastle's fittest squad member when players returned for pre-season testing, and scored four goals in pre-season. Consistent minutes in his preferred position, out wide, should propel Anderson’s stock.
Most likely to...
Get their fans scrambling to Wikipedia. Most Toon supporters would be lying if they said they knew who Botman or Bruno were before the Sports Direct signs came down at St James’ Park.
Least likely to...
Win a trophy. Man hadn’t walked on the Moon the last time a Newcastle captain touched something silver.
The fan's view: Adam Clery (@AdamClery)
Last season was “not beyond our wildest dreams, because we did have wild dreams”, to quote Sir Bobby.
This season will be different because we are legitimately a Champions League team now, and with that comes considerable pressure to stay at that level.
I won’t be happy unless we draw a Madrid team, purely to get the Anthony Gordon song into its natural habitat.
Our most underrated player is Sean Longstaff, although his few absences last season finally showed everyone his importance to Eddie Howe’s style of play.
The opposition player I’d love here is Declan Rice. He’d be the perfect fit for this midfield if we were shopping in those sorts of markets. Sadly, we’re not.
The opposition player who grinds my gears is Anthony Gordon... oh wait, no, sorry – we bought him.
Our key player will be Alexander Isak. When he’s fit and firing, the Swede is among Europe’s top strikers.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is unprecedented. There isn’t a single question over his ability to manage this team that Howe hasn’t resoundingly answered.
Fans think our owner is a difficult thing to discuss – undoubtedly responsible for the club’s incredible upward trajectory, but with associations that leave a bad taste in the mouths of some.
Look out for Elliot Anderson again. Our heavier fixture list should give the 20-year-old the game time he needs.
The active player I’d love to have back is Tim Krul or Fraser Forster. I don’t rate them any higher than the backup goalkeepers we’ve already got, but we need some academy graduates to register for Europe...
We’ll finish 4th again.
Season previews for the Premier League, League One and League Two are all available HERE
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