The Magpies held meetings in front of Yasir Al-Rumayyan where the club's ambition was shared just minutes after the final whistle sounded on the 2024/25 season
Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan applauds the fans at St James' Park
Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan applauds the fans at St James' Park
The dust is still settling on the history books after Newcastle United rewrote it all under Eddie Howe and his now legendary squad.
But the time has come to make improvements with a new striker, a new right winger, and a new centre-back expected in the new window, while a top goalkeeper arrival is also on the cards. After Yasir Al-Rummayyan watched on against Everton some immediate transfer meetings took place.
Champions League football is on the menu again, of course, but the memories of winning the Carabao Cup will live forever. When we look back on the 2024/25 season, it will be images of finally seeing silverware lifted for the Magpies at Wembley and against Liverpool, no less.
That sweet, sweet mid-March afternoon beneath the Wembley arch resulted in the stars on show etching their name into Geordie folklore, not least Blyth lad Dan Burn and super Sweden star Alexander Isak, who grabbed the all-important goals. It would have been easy for Newcastle to drop off going into the final stages of the season, but Howe refused to accept it and secured fifth place
Even from his sick bed, as he lay stricken with pneumonia, he left assistant Jason Tindall in charge as a trusted lieutenant. Down the years, the Carabao Cup winners have somehow managed to down tools, and the season fizzles out somewhat.
Newcastle coach Jason Tindall with sporting director Paul Mitchell
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But not Newcastle and not on Howe's watch. This was a season packed with memorable wins over Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, and of course the Reds at Wembley, but what made it more special was the way Newcastle did it.
They were relentless in some matches and refused to take no for an answer as they booked their place in Europe once again under Howe. The highlights reel is endless with great goals, great tackles, great saves and most of all great pictures for the scrapbook!
Yet it had started with an air of uncertainty within the camp after the appointments of former Monaco duo Paul Mitchell, as sporting director, and James Bunce, the new performance supremo. Incredibly less than a year into his stint Mitchell has left the building but a clash between Howe and the former Spurs man seemed inevitable.
With Howe heavily linked with the then vacant post with England after Gareth Southgate resigned after Euro 2024, the Newcastle boss was a prime candidate. He insisted he wanted to stay at St James' Park but he had to be "happy" with the situation behind the scenes.
Even after Mitchell branded the club's scouting and off-stage staff as "unfit for purpose" in a blazing public interview with journalists down the corridors of power at St James', Howe kept his head. As Newcastle slipped to 12th place in the Premier League after the 4-2 defeat against Brentford just before Christmas, Howe remained ice cold.
He calmly guided Newcastle to the Carabao Cup semi-finals against Arsenal over two legs to book the big day against Liverpool. In the Premier League, Newcastle got stronger as the campaign went on despite not being able to add players in the January window.
In fact it became more difficult if anything as Miguel Almiron and Lloyd Kelly were sold but not replaced and Howe's squad got weaker. Resilence was the watch word behind the scenes and over the spring 12th place turned into the top five and then the top three.
Despite what was deemed a dip in the 2023/24 season when Newcastle finished seventh, the Magpies were destined for bigger and better. As Kieran Trippier put it at Wembley after winning the cup: "We stayed up in our first season then finished fourth.
"It was progress then we finished seventh, now we've won the Carabao Cup. We haven't changed a lot, but we don't get carried away."
And that's the way Howe will like it going into next season as new adventures begin. The three barren transfer windows are behind us now and new faces are expected with a promise from PIF to spend in the next few weeks.
If this season was a glimpse of what could be, it might be very special indeed in 2025/26.