When the Saudi-backed takeover happened, Newcastle United looked like a club with a clear vision.
Amanda Staveley became the face of that project, Eddie Howe transformed the team, Dan Ashworth oversaw recruitment, and supporters genuinely believed we were watching the foundations of a title-winning club being built.
For me, that changed the moment Amanda Staveley left.
I don’t believe that was just another executive departure. I believe it marked the end of the football project that had made Newcastle United such a success.
Since then, almost every major decision has weakened the club.
First came the PSR crisis. Whether the financial position was as severe as presented or not, the outcome was disastrous. Elliot Anderson, arguably our biggest academy talent since Paul Gascoigne, was sold. Yankuba Minteh, one of Europe’s brightest young prospects, was sold before kicking a ball for Newcastle.
Then came the uncertainty surrounding Alexander Isak’s contract. Instead of tying down arguably the Premier League’s best striker, uncertainty grew. Eventually Newcastle United lost one of the world’s elite forwards.
The departures didn’t stop there.
Amanda Staveley left.
Dan Ashworth left.
Steve Nickson, regarded by many as one of the best talent spotters in English football, left.
Eddie Howe is now gone.
Anthony Gordon has been sold.
Sandro Tonali has been sold.
Bruno Guimaraes could yet follow.
At some point supporters have to ask whether these are isolated events or evidence that something has fundamentally changed inside the football club.
One decision that particularly puzzled me was entering a major transfer window in summer 2025 without a working Chief Executive and no Sporting Director. Recruitment appeared reactive rather than strategic. Newcastle United publicly pursued players who never looked attainable while other opportunities appeared to pass by.
Recruitment has also become noticeably younger. Developing young talent is an excellent strategy over the long term, but replacing proven international players with footballers who have only one season of top-level experience carries significant risk. It asks supporters to accept a step backwards after years of progress.
My biggest concern is that Newcastle United no longer looks like a club making proactive decisions. Instead, too often it appears to be reacting to events.
Perhaps there are explanations supporters are not aware of. Football is far more complicated than any of us can see from the outside. But communication has been poor, key figures have departed, and the direction of travel feels very different from the one that united the fanbase just a few years ago.
This article isn’t about demanding instant success.
It’s about asking whether Newcastle United has drifted away from the ambitious, coherent football project that inspired supporters after the takeover.
Because if Bruno Guimaraes also leaves, many supporters will inevitably wonder whether the club has lost far more than just great players.
It may have lost the vision that made us believe in the project in the first place.