Tino Livramento, left, with Fabian Schar, Bruno Guimaraes, Jacob Murphy and Kieran Trippier
Back in August 2023, with Kieran Trippier in his pomp and Newcastle United's defence shaping up to be one of the meanest in the Premier League, the Magpies decided they wouldn't rest on their laurels.
Newcastle had just qualified for the Champions League just months earlier. A stunning season under Eddie Howe had seen him propel a team from the brink of relegation when he was brought in, to the top tier of European football.
There were many catalysts to that transformation. Trippier was undoubtedly one - the first signing of the PIF ownership in January 2022, an England international willing to swap fighting for trophies in Spain and Europe with Atletico Madrid for fighting against relegation to the Championship with Newcastle.
It was an inspired piece of business by Amanda Staveley, Eddie Howe & Co. For what now looks like a bargain £12million, the right-back immediately raised standards both on the pitch and in the changing room, as well as showing Newcastle meant business. Before the month was out, he had been joined by Matt Targett, Chris Wood and Bruno Guimaraes.
The rest is history. Newcastle comfortably beat the drop after a brilliant last few months to the season, and then kicked on in a manner no one saw coming, finishing the 2022/23 season in fourth spot, having reached the Carabao Cup final on the way. Champions League football was achieved on the back of the joint meanest defence in the Premier League. Newcastle's 33 goals conceded that season was only matched by champions Man City.
Trippier's form was outstanding and with Emil Krafth in reserve, Newcastle looked well set on the right side of defence. It was something of a surprise, therefore, when they decided to spend a huge chunk of their summer transfer budget on another right back.
The signing of Tino Livramento raised some eyebrows. Southampton had just been relegated, while Livramento had endured a nightmare injury, damaging his ACL. Just before the season was completed, he finally made his first appearance for the Saints in 392 days as a late substitute in the final game of the campaign.
Suddenly, in came Newcastle with a massive offer. When the deal was eventually completed, the fee was officially undisclosed, though some reports claimed it was worth an initial £32m, plus £8m in add-ons. An eye-watering amount for a still largely unproven player who had played 13 minutes of football in 13 months.
Like Trippier, however, it has been another brilliant piece of business. While Livramento - like many other players coming into Howe's squad and getting used to his methods - had something of a slow start before blossoming into one of the best full-backs in the Premier League. He has usurped Trippier as the first choice right-back and shown his versatility by arguably producing even better performances since deputising on the opposite flank for the injured Lewis Hall.
It's no wonder other clubs are casting admiring glances his way, given the levels he is reaching. Tuesday brought ews that Man City have identified the 22-year-old as a potential replacement for Kyle Walker, putting Livramento on a four-man shortlist.
If £32m was his price tag two years ago with a serious knee injury, now he is a fully fledged England international and one of the best of his ilk in the Premier League, United could ask for double that money now if they were inclined to entertain offers. Start your bidding at £60m and let's work up from there.
In a world where the need to keep generating revenue to reinvest in the team and comply with PSR regulations, a huge offer for any of Newcastle's stars will always have to be weighed up. But Livramento's status is now not far short of the Big Five at St James' Park - Alexander Isak, Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Sven Botman. He is that important to the team.
There is - or at least, there should be - no chance Newcastle will sell. Having taken the risk on the defender two years ago, he can go on to become a mainstay of the United defence for years to come. In Livramento and Hall, United have two young English full-backs who can be the pairing not just on Tyneside but for England for the next decade.