For Newcastle fans, last season the unthinkable happened when the sleeping giant of the north east dropped into the Championship. It is something that really shouldn’t have happened given the players at their disposal, but as the Premier League has shown over the years, the quality of your squad is no indication of league position if things aren’t right behind the scenes. However, they are well positioned to gain promotion to the Premier League this season after a blistering start in the Championship where they are really showing their class. We look at 3 reasons why Newcastle WILL be back in the countries top division next season.
Squad Depth
The summer just gone, Rafa Benitez undertook a huge overhauling operation on his squad. They signed no fewer than 15 players, with a huge 27 departing the Geordies, either being sold, released or sent out on loan. No position on the pitch shows their strength in depth quite like the striker position. Currently, summer signing Dwight Gayle is scoring for fun, having scored 11 goals this term. He is keeping Aleksander Mitrovic out the team, a player with immense ability but a questionable attitude.
Also able to play upfront is Ayoze Perez, who last season was linked with Tottenham. Perhaps the biggest success in the window was managing to keep hold of playmaker Jonjo Shelvey. The shiny headed midfielder is quite frankly a class above most players in the Championship and will be desperate to get back into the Premier League and put in the kind of performances that last year saw him playing for England.
Rafa Benitez
It is not often that a manager takes a team to relegation and the fans are in the stands with banners on the last day of the season begging him to stay. That faith was a massive factor in Benitez extending his stay in the North East to guide them back to the Premier League. Fact is, it wasn’t his fault that they went down and by the time he took charge in March, the mission to stop their descent was an impossible one. Plus his pedigree is one that is without question.
His first big job was with Valencia where in he won the La Liga title and Uefa Cup before joining Liverpool. There he won one of the most iconic Champions League finals in history. Since then he has managed Inter, Chelsea, Napoli and Real Madrid before finding his way to Tyneside. Simply put, he is a man who can not only gain promotion for Newcastle, but can also build a foundation that sets them up for future success, finally.
Size of club
The Newcastle attendance against Brentford last weekend was the 6th highest across Europe! This is a remarkable stat given they are in the second tier of English football. Not only does this give them a financial advantage that means they can outspend everybody in the Championship, but the loyal Geordie faithful create an atmosphere that lifts the team to impressive performances at home.
Finally, this feels like a club that is moving in the right direction from the players to the fans backing them, it is a sure-fire bet that we will be seeing Newcastle back among the big boys again next season.