Newcastle United fans preparing for the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Less than two weeks to go now until Liverpool travel to St James’ Park.
An ‘interesting’ summer so far…
So many talking points.
An ideal time to get a snapshot of views from Newcastle United fans on their thoughts.
So we sent out questions to a number of regular/irregular contributors to The Mag, varying to a degree the questions that different fans received to answer.
Next up answering some questions is Josh Jones:
When the takeover happened on 7 October 2021, if somebody at that point had told you then what would happen by August 2026, would you have taken it?
Absolutely. Growing up during the Northern Rock and Wonga eras, watching players like Rivière, Obertan, Siem De Jong, and Bentaleb at St James’s, I would have *undoubtedly* taken two Champions League campaigns, a trophy, and consistent top 10 league finishes. I grew up watching Newcastle sides that battled relegation season after season. The 4-1 demolition of PSG, the Carabao Cup triumph, and nights at the Camp Nou would have seemed completely out of reach five years ago.
Clubs go through cycles and Newcastle United have come to the end of one. The mood around the club might be at its lowest in a few years, but it is time to go again with a new manager and a much-changed squad. Newcastle United will get back to the Champions League level soon.
Do you think the Newcastle United owners have a strong long-term plan for the club, or are they making it up as they go along?
I think that when PIF bought the club, they did have a strong long-term plan. Initially, there were comparisons to the City Group takeover and their puzzling acquisition of Robinho, but the Newcastle ownership remained savvy and made wise footballing decisions. That plan has had to change though. The ever-frustrating financial rules – initiated by both the Premier League and UEFA – have hindered the club’s transfer ambitions and hence the ownership have had to be pragmatic and adapt. We are seeing a shift now with the club’s transfer policy: the average age of the summer signings has dropped as the Newcastle hierarchy look to be astute in an increasingly competitive transfer market.
What do you think of the choice of Matthias Jaissle as the new NUFC boss?
I am quietly optimistic. He is a young, exciting manager with an impressive resumé at 38. Jaissle has a track record of working with and improving youth during his time in the Red Bull setup, which bodes well for our recent summer buys. I still think there is a glaring lack of experience and leadership in the dressing room, but Jaissle’s footballing philosophy is not too dissimilar to Howe’s. Both set their teams up in a 4-3-3 and emphasise high-intensity pressing, transitions, and attacking quickly. Hopefully the transition from Eddie to Matthias is fairly seemless.
Three words to describe how you currently feel as a Newcastle United fan?
Disheartened, Cautious, Hopeful
Three words to describe Newcastle United now?
Transition, Rebuild, Youthful
Do you see it as good news or bad news that Eddie Howe resigned?
I will always love Eddie – undoubtedly the best Newcastle manager I have ever seen. It just felt like he had nothing left to give to the project.
I think it was definitely time for a change; a refresh was needed. Ideally, Matthias Jaissle would have had a full pre-season with a fixed, settled squad. But watching back the pre-season games so far – especially the Bristol City game – it seems like little has changed, football-wise, from the end of last season under Howe.
Hand on heart, what position do you currently believe Newcastle United are most likely to finish in the 2026/27 Premier League season?
11th or 12th. Looking at the Premier League table today, I think there are at least 9 or 10 teams that would finish above us this season.
If Eddie Howe had stayed would your 2026/27 prediction have been different (up or down…)?
If Howe were still the manager, I think my prediction may have been more positive – but not by much. The sheer number of changes across the club has created this feeling of uncertainty going into next season: a young manager in Jaissle, an entirely new backroom staff, and an influx of exciting but raw talent.
Do you see a potential lack of leadership on the pitch next season with Bruno Guimaraes following Kieran Trippier out of the club?
Yes, I do. Looking at the current squad, the core leadership group seems to be Pope, Schar, Burn, and potentially Joelinton (if he does not leave for Saudi Arabia). Pope and Schar are unlikely to feature in the majority of games next season anyway.
I do not believe that this will change either. Our transfer model has evidently shifted towards buying talented, relatively unknown youngsters with future resale value.
There is definitely a glaring lack of leadership on the pitch going into the season.
The opening six league games are Liverpool home, Spurs away, Bournemouth home, Leeds away, Hull home and Coventry away. How many points would Newcastle need to take for you to be happy and what would you predict will be the reality?
I think the opening game could go either way. I have not been impressed by Liverpool’s summer window or their squad as a whole. The fact that it is the first meeting between the two sides since Kevin Keegan’s death will make it an emotional affair too. I could see the Liverpool fixture going either way. I would be happy with 11 points from the first 6 games. In reality, I believe that we will draw against Liverpool, lose to Spurs, draw against Bournemouth, lose to Leeds, and then beat both Hull and Coventry, leaving us with 8 points from the first 6 games.
What do you see as the biggest priorities in the remainder of the transfer market this summer?
Assuming Bruno is the only one to leave, we need four key signings: a centre-back, a full-back, an experienced midfielder to replace Bruno, and another winger.
We have recently been linked with Feyenoord’s tricky wide man, Anis Hadj Moussa. The Algerian was also on Al-Ahli‘s radar earlier in the window – Jaissle’s former club – which suggests that the German has taken a real liking to him. Crucially, Moussa is a left-footed right winger who likes cutting inside, a quality that we have lacked with Murphy and Elanga.
Links with Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall and Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha have persisted all summer as well. Nmecha, of course, scored the winning goal against us in the Champions League back in 2023.
If we can also get deals for two defenders over the line before deadline day, it would go a long way towards salvaging what has been a very tough summer for the club.
Sandro Tonali leaving, your thoughts?
I am not mad at the sale at all. Whilst I think that Tonali was probably the most technically gifted football player at the club, he turned in some of his worst performances for us last season and seemed disinterested at times. An initial fee of £92.5m is good, solid money, and selling the Italian was a wise decision as the club is now in a stronger position to go back into the market and improve the squad’s depth.
What would represent success now in the 2026/27 season for Newcastle United?
A successful season for Newcastle United would be a top 10 finish and a deep run in one of the domestic cups. More importantly, it would be great to see the new signings settle in and adapt well to the Premier League, giving the fans something to get excited about going forward.
Predict the top six in the Premier League (in order) and which three clubs will be relegated in 2026/27.
I believe that the top six will be:
1. Arsenal
2. Manchester City
3. Chelsea
4. Manchester United
5. Aston Villa
6. Liverpool
I believe that the bottom three will be:
18. Ipswich
19. Coventry
20. Hull
Which eight current Newcastle United players (in order) are going to be most important for the 2026/27 season?
1. Wissa
2. Hornicek
3. Miley
4. Ramsey
5. Joelinton
6. Burn
7. Barnes
8. Hall
Some time ago Yasir Al-Rumayyan said the intention was to make Newcastle United number one in the world, how far along the road to that do you think we are?
A long, long way off – and frankly, I think that it is nearly impossible to achieve. The financial restrictions that have been placed on the ambitious Newcastle United owners have stifled their ability to turn Newcastle into one of Europe’s top clubs. UEFA’s harsher SCR rules have likely contributed towards an exodus from St James’s as the club is forced to remain below UEFA’s 70% squad cost threshold.
We are unable to generate the same revenue as the ‘Big 6’, which limits how much we can spend each summer. The project is currently having a tough time attracting top, world class talent and Newcastle’s elite players like Gordon, Bruno, Isak, and Tonali have all headed for the exit over the last couple of seasons. The vision of being a European giant by 2030 looks a long way off.
How would you rate your optimism for next season at Newcastle United from 0-100?
65. I am excited to watch the summer signings play and see how Jaissle adapts to life at St James’ Park, but I can’t help but feel worried and uncertain about what the football will look like next season and where we will end up finishing in the league.
Credit: Newcastle United FC
How important (or not) is a huge new stadium for Newcastle United?
I am undecided. A new stadium with around 60,000 capacity – where most of the extra seats would be corporate – would provide the added revenue needed to keep up with other Premier League clubs. But the owners should be wary. St. James’s is an intimidating place for opponents. The stands are imposing, the Gallowgate is what it is, and the fans are really close to the pitch.
If a new stadium goes ahead, the owners have to retain what makes St. James’s special. I look at West Ham’s (disastrous) move from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium and dread the thought of that happening on Tyneside. St. James’ Park is a fortress, and there is something romantic about keeping it as it is.
Did England have a successful 2026 World Cup finals?
Yes, they did. I agree with the argument that Tuchel was brought in one for reason: to win the World Cup. I think he was tactically poor in the last half-hour against Argentina and got it horribly wrong – but that can happen. If we’d won, he would have been hailed as a genius.
Argentina had two moments in a game England completely dominated. The Mexico game will always be remembered fondly by England fans, and there’s a lot to be excited about going into a home Euros in 2028.
Bruno Guimaraes wanting to leave Newcastle United after four and a half years, has that changed your opinion of him as a person?
No. He’s been our best player for the last couple of seasons and deserves to compete for top honours consistently.
Along with Trippier, Bruno has been the most influential signing since the PIF takeover in 2021. He took to the club and the city so well – he’s an adopted Geordie really. He just gets it. It pains me to think that our club captain will be putting in world-class performances week in, week out, for another Premier League side. The club has had a clear-out this summer, and after the Gordon and Tonali departures, I don’t blame him for entertaining offers.