Newcastle United will need to buck the trend once again this season to disrupt the established order but former defender Jamal Lewis has backed his side to do so
Eddie Howe (left) and Arne Slot
Eddie Howe (left) and Arne Slot
Jamal Lewis has backed Newcastle United to continue to disrupt the so-called 'big six'.
Newcastle have qualified for the Champions League in two of the last three seasons. For context, Leicester City were the only side to previously do so between 2010 and 2022.
However, Newcastle face a challenge to stay amongst the elite in a PSR world - let alone take the next step - as the Magpies' rivals make aggressive moves in the transfer market.
Newcastle will have to continue to 'buck the trend', as Howe termed it, while competing against clubs with far superior revenues in an era where the sides with the biggest wage bills have historically picked up the most points. That is before mentioning the fact that the Magpies' thin squad will have to fight on four fronts this season.
Lewis, though, has high hopes for a group with a 'great chemistry' and a coaching team who are 'so diligent, precise and hard-working' after the defender witnessed Newcastle's transformation under Howe during his time at the club.
"You just see what they want to produce for the players," the Northern Ireland international told ChronicleLive a few days after his contract ran out.
"Just in terms of changing things training ground wise, nutrition wise, providing staff in order to cater to the players as much as possible so they can eke out as much performance as they can.
"Everything takes time and I'm sure it will just keep building and building. It feels like Newcastle have broken through already, but they will continue to break through that traditional big six."
Newcastle's rivals have certainly been busy in the opening weeks of the summer. Liverpool have signed Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez while a deal for Giorgi Mamardashvili was done before the window even opened.
Manchester City have recruited Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Norui; Chelsea have spent upwards of £200m on new players like Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Estevao; and Arsenal, who are in talks with Sporting Lisbon to bring in prolific striker Viktor Gyokeres, have announced the arrival of Martin Zubimendi.
Newcastle have not made a major signing in nearly two years, but the black-and-whites are working on deals for Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga and Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, and Howe has long relished going up against the established order.
"My career history has always been battling against teams with bigger resources," the Newcastle boss explained a couple of months ago. "That's never bothered me.
"I have lived in that world for a long time so I count on other things against the ability to sign players. I look at the other things that hopefully we can get an edge on our rivals with. That's hard work, team spirit, togetherness and all those other qualities that I never underestimate."
Here at ChronicleLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Newcastle United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest NUFC news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Everything is Black and White podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube