Newcastle United will definitely be playing European football next season after winning the Carabao Cup.
European nights are coming back to Tyneside after the Magpies missed out last season due to Manchester United’s FA Cup win after the season’s end.
Newcastle United finished seventh in the Premier League last season, which was enough for the Europa Conference League. However, Man United beating Manchester City at Wembley meant the Red Devils qualified for the Europa League, pushed Chelsea down to the Conference League, and kicked Newcastle out of Europe entirely, though no fault of their own.
It is a completely different story this season, however, with the Magpies confirmed to be playing in the Conference League at least next season, thanks to their Carabao Cup win against Liverpool.
The worry for Eddie Howe is now that Newcastle are lacking in ‘home-grown’ players, something which they also struggled with during their Champions League campaign last season.
UEFA rules state that Newcastle must have a minimum of four players who were registered with the club for a minimum of three years between the ages of 15 and 21, no matter the nationality.
Last season, only Paul Dummett and Sean Longstaff were within that quota, so the Magpies lost two places. However, the club are in a far worse position than their previous Champions League campaign due to Dummett and Elliot Anderson’s exits, meaning they must look to the transfer market to find players who fit the criteria.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Four players Newcastle United can sign for European registration rules
Newcastle want three new players this summer, with a mix of young and established stars expected to be brought in.
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Work is already underway to bring players to the club, with Antonio Cordero set to join Newcastle upon the expiry of his Malaga contract.
However, sporting director Paul Mitchell must now juggle the home-grown quota with his original summer transfer plans.
With that in mind, here are four players Newcastle can sign for Europe next season.
Adam Armstrong
West Brom striker Adam Armstrong has formed a fairly positive career for himself after leaving Newcastle in 2018, playing in the Premier League for Southampton and winning tournaments at youth level for England.
Armstrong was linked with a move to Sunderland in the January transfer window, but the deal failed to materialise and the 28-year-old moved to the Midlands instead.
The striker was an academy graduate at Newcastle, spending 12 years at the club before moving to Blackburn Rovers.
Newcastle want to sign a striker this summer, although Armstrong would not be anywhere near the first-choice under Howe, he would still fit the European criteria and give the Toon boss another option to choose from in attack, with Callum Wilson likely to leave at the end of the season.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Matty Longstaff
Midfielder Matty Longstaff burst onto the scene at Newcastle, scoring on his professional debut against Man United in 2019. The midfielder had plenty of interest after that season, coming close to joining Serie A side Udinese before eventually signing a new deal with the Magpies.
Longstaff fell out of favour with Steve Bruce and was sent out on loan to Scotland and various football league sides before being released by Newcastle in 2023 after suffering a serious cruciate ligament injury.
Now 25, Longstaff plays for MLS side Toronto FC where he has recaptured his form.
Longstaff knew he was done at Newcastle following the takeover in 2021, and admitted in an interview that he should have left the club earlier. Despite that, Newcastle allowed Longstaff to recover from injury at the club’s training facility, even when he was without a club.
His age means he still has a lot left to give in his career, Howe could look to give the brother of Sean another chance on Tyneside.
Freddie Woodman
It has been a tale of ‘what if’ for goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, who left Newcastle in 2022 for a move to the Championship.
Woodman was thrown into the deep end at Newcastle when injuries forced Bruce to pick him in his Premier League starting XI. That debut happened to be against Man United at Old Trafford in Cristiano Ronaldo’s first game back at the club.
Now playing for Preston North End, Woodman has seemingly moved on from his time on Tyneside and is performing well for the Championship side.
Woodman could not believe Newcastle were in the Champions League last season, something he wished he could have been a part of.
The shot-stopper is the son of former goalkeeper coach Andy Woodman, who returned to St James’ Park for the first time in years with Bromley in the FA Cup earlier this season.
Tim Krul
Possibly the most memorable player on the list, Tim Krul had a successful career on Tyneside before moving on after 12 years at the club.
All in all, Krul made 160 league appearances for Newcastle and played Europa League football with them during the 2012/13 season. His time at the club made him a big fan favourite before joining the likes of Brighton and Norwich after Newcastle.
A recent report claimed that Newcastle looked to resign Krul in 2024 when they were still in the race for European football due to his ‘club-trained’ status. But Howe and Mitchell ultimately passed up on the opportunity to bring him back to the club.
Newcastle’s first-team squad already has five goalkeepers on the books, but both Mark Gillespie and John Ruddy’s deals are set to run out at the end of the season, so Howe will be keen to add another body alongside James Trafford, who has been linked with a £30m move this summer.