Newcastle at Christmas: One year on what’s changed?

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On the pitch and in the table, Newcastle United appear to have regressed.

Off the pitch, however, the Magpies are a world away from where they were last year.

Newcastle went into Christmas 2020 on the back of a 5-2 defeat at Leeds.

The Magpies were 13th in the table, eight points clear of the bottom three.

And they ultimately finished a respectable 12th.

Now, they’re 19th in the standings and three points from safety with just one league win all season.

Despite this, however, the future certainly looks bright at St James’ Park.

In October, Newcastle were finally taken over by a Saudi-led consortium.

Mike Ashley’s much-criticised reign came to an end, much to the delight of many Newcastle fans.

The Premier League approved a £305m bid from Public Investment Fund (PIF).

This came following assurances that the Saudi state would not be in control.

And now, the Magpies are arguably the richest club in world football.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) reportedly boasts assets worth $300billion.

In theory, Newcastle could go on to become a football superpower in the next few years.

How quickly this could happen, however, depends on whether Newcastle get relegated.

The new club owners acted quickly to replace Steve Bruce with Eddie Howe.

However, there is still a lot of work for Newcastle to do.

The January transfer window is likely to see a lot of incomings on Tyneside.

And if Newcastle do survive in the top flight this season, next summer is likely to be even more exciting on the transfer front.