Leeds United sent Middlesbrough striker warning after goalscoring streak
There is a constant misconception around Newcastle United that has perhaps been most pertinent during this summer transfer window.
While the presence of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund may give them the richest owners, that cannot translate into spending the most money. Understanding that offers important context for what has been a difficult, uncertain and at times fraught summer on Tyneside.
There have been changes to the ownership group, with Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi selling their joint stake in the club, a boardroom restructure and an extremely close-run avoidance of a profit and sustainability rules breach. Plus speculation linking manager Eddie Howe with the England job.
But as the club heads into the new Premier League season on the front foot in what is effectively a new era, BBC Sport breaks down and analyses the key moments in the off-season so far.
Amanda Staveley out, Paul Mitchell in
At the beginning of July, Newcastle announced the appointment of Paul Mitchell as their sporting director, replacing the Manchester United-bound Dan Ashworth. It was a real coup to lure a man who had an incredibly strong reputation after working with the likes of Tottenham, RB Leipzig and Monaco.
Not even a week later, Staveley left the club. In practical terms, it would change very little; every key job in the football, finance and commercial departments, which she had initially taken on after the takeover from previous owner Mike Ashley, had been filled by an industry-leading expert.
But in terms of perception, it was huge; Staveley remains incredibly popular with fans, as the instigator in usurping the ever-unpopular Ashley, and she was a huge emotional support to the players and, crucially, Howe.
It means Darren Eales, the CEO, is left to take a more proactive role at the front of the club. In an in-house interview with club media, Eales said Mitchell’s role would be “90% recruitment”, which differed from Ashworth who was “the centre of the wheel”, as he himself put it, looking after the academy, scouting and women’s team.
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Ashworth had also reportedly been unable to build
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