Diego Carlos of Sevilla FC
Diego Carlos of Sevilla FC
Newcastle United players went from popular grafters to club legends in the space of 90 minutes during the Carabao Cup final.
The 2-1 win over Liverpool had many success stories across the park, including Dan Burn who went from Blyth Spartans to Wembley goalscoring hero to one-time £40m "flop" Joelinton who had the game of his life to Jacob Murphy who went from the brink of leaving Newcastle in 2019 to cup final hero.
The likes of Fabian Schar, dropped then used as a midfielder by Steve Bruce, to Sandro Tonali, banned for illegal betting just last season, to Harvey Barnes, back from injury this term, all have good tales to tell about the Carabao Cup winners experience.
But what of the players that could have joined Newcastle but opted against it? Since the takeover went through in 2021, Newcastle have tried tirelessly to improve the squad but have not been able to convince some players to head to St James' Park.
Here are four examples of those who knocked Newcastle back in recent windows.
Jesse Lingard
The former England star, now 32, was actually keen on a move to Newcastle in 2022 when Eddie Howe tried to sign him on loan. But Manchester United demanded over the top fees if they helped Newcastle stay up and the move fell through.
However, Lingard then had the chance to join Newcastle in the summer of 2023 but turned down the move when the wages on offer weren't high enough. Lingard instead opted to sign for Nottingham Forest for wages of £115k per week plus bonuses.
But the move did not work out and after failing to score or assist in 17 appearances, Forest released the attacker at the end of his one-year deal. Now playing in the K League for FC Seoul, he could only watch the Carabao Cup final and wonder.
Kalvin Phillips
The Euro 2020 star was on Howe's wish-list in January 2024 as he looked to escape his Manchester City nightmare. Having fallen down the pecking order, the ex-Leeds star was a target over 12 months ago.
A loan deal looked likely but big demands from Man City - who wanted a £7m loan fee - and wages proved to be an issue. In the end, West Ham paid his £135,000 per week pay packet but he could not win a permanent move to the London Stadium.
A loan move to Ipswich has also proved to be troublesome with the Tractor Boys heading for relegation and Phillips likely to go back to Man City. He is another player who could only watch on as Newcastle players went to pick up their medals on Sunday.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
The centre-forward may well have watched the final against Liverpool knowing he could yet become a Newcastle player. But Calvert-Lewin was in line for a switch to United back in June when the two clubs discussed a swap plus cash deal for Yankuba Minteh before leaving the room due to financial demands.
Currently ending his time at Goodison Park with a hamstring injury, Calvert-Lewin must have thought 'what if?' when Newcastle went up to lift the cup.
Diego Carlos
The Brazilian made big demands when Newcastle tried to sign him from Sevilla in January 2022. Back then United needed a centre-back badly and ended up signing Burn.
After turning the Magpies down in 2022, Carlos ended up making a £26m switch to Aston Villa. However, after 55 appearances and a tendon injury, Villa accepted a bid of £8.4m and cut their losses on the star.
He is now plying his trade in Turkey with Fenerbahce after losing his place with Villa.