Newcastle United are a big club and their fans should not forget that. (GETTY Images)
Newcastle fans have finally got the news they’ve been dreaming of for 14 long years – Mike Ashley has gone, and the club has new owners packing some staggering financial might. There’s no doubt that the Magpies could become the world’s next super club, but the cash injection won’t mean instant success. Specific moves need to be made to address short- and long-term goals.
The January transfer window is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting in living memory. What tends to be a slow market will be the opposite for Newcastle, who will reportedly have a £200 million budget to spend. They’ll need to make some major additions in order to ensure that the club will be playing in the English top flight next term.
When the new owners took over, Newcastle were languishing in 19th place, without a win in the first seven games of the season. They’ll need to address key areas of the squad that have long needed an overhaul.
This will almost certainly come in the form of at least one high-quality center-back and a playmaker. They are also likely to bring in a striker, with the injury prone Callum Wilson desperately in need of back-up. Five proven Premier League additions should be enough to keep Newcastle up.
The club may also try to acquire an elite player as a marquee signing, to kickstart the beginning of a new era. When Manchester City were taken over by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, their first addition was Real Madrid’s Robinho. This was a real statement of intent, and Newcastle are likely to try for a similar swoop.
Due to financial fair play rules, Newcastle won’t be able to simply spend millions in every window. The new ownership will allow them to build for a sustainable future, though, and they will look to invest in different areas of the club’s model from the ground up.
A world-class scouting network is a must in the modern age. Data analysis is being used more than ever in the game, and investment into technology will help the club identify potential talents. Aside from having scouts in place in various leagues, clubs can also harness the power of algorithms to analyze more data than ever before.
This has been seen in other industries in recent years, with entertainment using stats to improve the user experience. For example, sites like Bonusfinder Ireland scour the web for all the best bonuses, and then recommend these to players. With so many sites out there to choose from, users don’t have time to search through them all, just as managers in football can’t look through long lists of players.
They need to get in touch with the options that are going to suit them best, as quickly and easily as possible. Spotify and YouTube also use tech to a similar effect, recommending songs and videos to people who are likely to enjoy them.
These are certainly exciting times for Newcastle, with the prospect of big names about to enter the doors of St James’ Park. The newfound riches should also enable the club to position itself well for a sustainable future if the right investments are made in scouting and training systems.