Sport

Newcastle are struggling this season, here’s why…

Newcastle United are struggling with inconsistency this season. The momentum which drove the club forward after the Saudi Arabian-backed takeover in 2021, qualifying for the Champions League just shy of two years later, seems to be drying up.

The Magpies, who host Leicester City on Saturday afternoon at St James’ Park, are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League having failed to win any of their last three games. There have been moments of promise this season, evidence that Eddie Howe’s team are still capable of competing at the top of the table, but there are genuine concerns about the overall direction of the club that harbours ambitions to become a dominant force. There are a number of reasons for their malaise, some of which are very much out of their control.

But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take responsibility themselves.

Profit and Sustainability Rules are becoming an increasingly antagonistic presence in football. Newcastle have felt their impact more than most; their ability to succeed relies on their extremely wealthy owners being able to spend their money. But because the rules are fixated on clubs spending what they earn, that is severely restricted. It means Newcastle need to grow their revenue streams; income has increased by 40% over the past two accounts, yet things like a training ground sponsor have not been found. That has led to some supporters questioning whether enough is being done.

Newcastle have spent big since the change of ownership, a lot of that money has been distributed wisely. But the efficient, forward-thinking approach to recruitment which defined the new era’s first couple of years has began to erode. Sales have been a long-standing issue too, initially in terms of finding sellable assets worth cashing in on, and later their inability to act at the right time. All of these issues are evident now.

Their squad is unbalanced, badly needing a right winger despite signing left-sided player Harvey Barnes from Leicester for £38m, who while performing well for the club, has struggled to nail down a starting place because of Anthony Gordon. With Nick Pope and Callum Wilson both injured, too, their lack of strength in goal and up front have been called into question.

In the summer, they spent too much time chasing Marc Guehi in a very public courtship, bidding around £65m for the player and ending up with no major improvements to the first team squad. On transfer deadline day, they reportedly launched a bid for Nottingham Forest right winger Anthony Elanga. That move was born out of desperation and chaos, just two months after being forced to sell two young talents in Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh in similar circumstances to balance the books.

That sort of atmosphere, and the lack of cohesion it came from, is a huge reason why Newcastle are now really struggling to match expectations. It is true that they overachieved initially, but the signings they made in that spell gave them the quality to compete, the likes of Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes would be worthy additions for many teams across England and Europe. They should be doing more than struggling in midtable, but the reason they are is largely down to their own poor mismanagement and decision-making.

Newcastle were one of the most exciting teams and clubs in Europe just over a year ago. Now they are drifting; there was always a time coming when they needed to push through difficulty, but they must look at their approach for answers on improving.