Newcastle United fans are in a buoyant mood following the £300 million buy out of the club by a Saudi-led consortium. Their beloved Magpies are the richest club in the Premier League by some distance and one of the wealthiest clubs in the world. However, having owners who can throw blank cheques around like confetti probably will not save them from the dreaded drop this season.
The 2021-22 Premier League season is a quarter of the way through, with each team having played ten games. Newcastle finds themselves languishing in 19th place with a meagre four points, all obtained from draws. The Geordies, along with doomed basement club Norwich City, are the only teams in English football's top four tiers without a single victory this campaign. Norwich are the odds on favourites to be relegated with Newcastle second-favourites with online sports betting giant Bovada to be playing Championship football next season. We tend to agree with that prediction.
Winless In All Competitions
Not winning games is a habit that is difficult to shift. Newcastle last won a Premier League game on May 23, 2021, when the defeated already relegated Fulham 2-0 away from home. Being winless through the first ten games leaves Newcastle six points adrift of safety, and they have already conceded 23 goals, leading to an inferior goal difference of everyone barring Norwich.The Magpies' next ten games see them travel to high-flying Brighton, a resurgent Arsenal, Leicester City, and Liverpool. They play host to the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City. It is difficult to see them obtaining more than seven points from the next possible 30.
In Unai Emery The Right Man For the Job?
Former Arsenal head coach Unai Emery is the frontrunner for the vacant Newcastle job. The 49-year-old Spaniard is undoubtedly a top-tier manager, but is he the right man for this massive project?
Arsenal sacked Emery after 18-months in charge following a string of winless games. Reports suggested Emery's lack of grasp of the English language hindered him in the dressing room. It also did not help that the players he spent big money on were complete flops.
Emery is now at the helm at Spanish La Liga side Villareal. He may have guided them to Europa League glory in May 2021, but the El Submarino Amarillo has only won twice in 11 La Liga games this season and is only three points outside the relegation zone. Villareal fans want Emery out, but the club cannot afford the €6 million it would cost to relieve him of his duties.
Questions remain over Emery's ability to motivate a Newcastle squad utterly devoid of confidence, especially with his lack of English.
The Current Squad Is Championship Quality
Recently sacked Steve Bruce worked wonders with this current crop of players, guiding them to a 12th place finish last season. Sure, they have been awful this season, but that is not all down to Bruce; the Newcastle squad is championship quality at best.Discount fellow strugglers Norwich, and which other Premier League club would any of the Newcastle United players get into the starting 11? Striker Callum Wilson is undoubtedly talented, but he spends more time in the physio room than on the pitch these days.
Allan Saint-Maximin is a phenomenal player, but not that sort of player who you want in a relegation dogfight; the Frenchman is a luxury player.
It is difficult to see any other standout player in the Magpies' squad.
Who Realistically Will Come To Newcastle?
There is talk of Newcastle spending £100-£150 million in the January transfer window, but who is really going to come to the North-East outfit? Anyone who is signed knows they are likely a stop-gap until the significant rebuilding work happens in the summer. Furthermore, which players will leave a top, established team to become embroiled in a battle for survival at the bottom of the Premier League?The club's new owners are talking about making a marquee signing, but it is difficult to see who that could be. Toni Kroos is being heavily linked, but the 31-year-old is a shadow of the player who lit up the pitch for Real Madrid and Germany. He has only played four La Liga games this season. Would he be up for leaving Real for Newcastle?
You must also consider Tottenham Hotspur appointed Antonio Conte as their head coach this week. There is no way on this planet Conte signed his 18-month deal without assurances of being given funds to spend to bolster his squad. Players will always choose London over Newcastle, plus Newcastle will simply have to overpay for players Spurs do not want.
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