Where are Newcastle United most likely to finish following a quiet January transfer window?
Despite an inconsistent first half of the Premier League season, Newcastle United have emerged from the January transfer window empty-handed.
That may not be too surprising for some, given how much the Magpies spent on the likes of Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Anthony Elanga and Co during the summer. However, Eddie Howe’s side have been the definition of Jekyll and Hyde in the Premier League this season, sitting 10th with 33 points from 24 games so far.
What’s more, Newcastle are making deep runs into the Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup, with the exertion placed on the squad resulting in numerous injury issues and forced rotation. None of that matters now, though. Howe must work with the players he has at his disposal, and with that in mind, we’ve taken a look at Opta’s season predictions to see where they’re most likely to finish come the end of 2025/26.
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Opta predicted 2025/26 Premier League table
Arsenal – 91.4%
Manchester City – 46.81%
Aston Villa – 36.26%
Liverpool – 24.86%
Chelsea – 24.79%
Manchester United – 21.32%
Brentford – 18.1%
Newcastle United – 13.99%
Fulham – 11.87%
AFC Bournemouth – 12.97%
Brighton & Hove Albion – 12.12%
Sunderland – 12.5%
Everton – 10.9%
Tottenham Hotspur – 13.55%
Crystal Palace – 16.39%
Nottingham Forest – 14.89%
Leeds United – 23.23%
West Ham United – 11.96%
Burnley – 20.81%
Wolverhampton Wanderers – 89.73%
Newcastle’s most likely finish at this point now appears to be eighth place, with Opta giving them a 13.99% likelihood of occupying this position. However, they’re still being given a significant chance of finishing even lower, with a 10.82% possibility of dropping to 11th, which would be their first time outside the top 10 since the 2021/22 campaign.
However, all is not lost. The Magpies are just seven points adrift of Chelsea in fifth, which is once again highly likely to yield a Champions League place for next season. Opta rate the Magpies at 3.35% to climb this high, as well as 6.66% likely to end up sixth.
There are few surprises at either end of the table, with Opta now rating Arsenal 91.4% likely to win the Premier League after going six points clear at the weekend, while Wolves are 89.73% likely to finish 20th and just 0.02% likely to climb to 17th, currently sitting bottom with just eight points from 24 games.
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