We wanted to get an overview of how Newcastle United fans are feeling at the moment.
Thoughts on the 2025/26 season that has just concluded.
As one season ends though, thoughts immediately turn to what comes next, only 11 weeks to go until the 2026/27 Premier League kicks off.
An ideal time to get a snapshot of views from Newcastle United fans on their thoughts, with a busy summer ahead of us all.
So we sent out questions to a number of regular/irregular contributors to The Mag.
Next up answering the questions is Mark Jankowski:
What would represent success in the 2026/27 season for Newcastle United?
Champions League qualification for Newcastle United is a must, anything else is failure.
What do you see as the minimum to achieve this coming season?
As above.
Predict the top six in the Premier League (in order) and which three clubs will be relegated in 2026/27.
1 Arsenal
2 Man City
3 Newcastle Utd
4 Liverpool
5 Chelsea
6 Aston Villa
18 Ipswich
19 Coventry
20 Hull
Which eight current Newcastle United players (in order) are the most important to keep for the 2026/27 season?
1 Bruno
2 Hall
3 Thiaw
4 Tonali
5 Botman
6 Miley
7 Woltemade
8 Tino
At what point did you first think the 2025/26 Newcastle United wasn’t going to turn out as you had hoped it would?
After the home defeat to the Mackems. Before that game we were perfectly set up for a run at the top four. What happened that day set the tone for several weeks of dire performances.
Newcastle United fell from 5th to 12th in the Premier League, what percentage of the blame/responsibility would you attach to each of these?
Alexander Isak 30%
Eddie Howe 25%
The players 25%
Newcastle United owners (not dealing properly with Isak situation, not having senior staff in place etc to help get summer 2025 transfers done etc) 15%
Bad luck and small margins 5%
What rating out of 10 would you give each of the permanent summer 2025 signings for their contributions across the 2025/26 season and what are your hopes/expectations (if any) for each of them next season at Newcastle United?
Anthony Elanga 4
I think the expectation was that in signing a player who’d already been successful in the Premier League, he would hit the ground running. What transpired was far from that. He showed a few glimpses of his talents but he’ll need to do a lot better next year to alter the perception he’s a failed signing. What may help is playing to his strengths rather than asking him to dribble at packed defences.
Jacob Ramsey 6
He took a long time to find his feet at the club but he was beginning to show his talents towards the end of the season. He’s a good squad player but will probably never be a star.
Malick Thiaw 8
His performances tailed off a little towards the end of the season but it was one of the more impressive debut seasons I’ve seen for a defender. He had a couple of games where he got bullied a little but his pace at the back was a breath of fresh air.
Yoane Wissa 3
I’ve been a huge fan of Wissa over the past few years but this season has been a disaster for him. He wasn’t fit when he arrived and then immediately picked up an injury. Once we finally got him on the pitch he bagged a couple of goals but looked miles off his best fitness-wise and in turn his confidence suffered massively. I think he’ll be given a chance next season and I fancy him to take it but as things stand it’s not been money well spent.
Nick Woltemade 6
I was super excited when we signed the big German having watched quite a lot of him but I warned my friends and family that it would be a successful season if he hit double figures and he may struggle at times. Big Nick hit the ground running and hit double figures much sooner than I expected. He then hit a bit of a wall and following that there’s been endless chatter about his best position etc. If he’d struggled at the beginning of the season then come good I think many would have been happier, but all things said and done he’s met my expectations. I think we can expect big things from him next season.
What do you see as the biggest priorities in the transfer market this summer?
Not the most exciting answer but full backs. We have two excellent ones in Tino and Lewis Hall but there’s no cover at all with all the departures. With Gordon leaving I think a creative player for the left wing is also a must. Beyond that I’d like to sign another progressive passer to take pressure off of Bruno. Signing someone like Morgan Gibbs-White could potentially kill two birds with one stone as he can play a multitude of roles and has tremendous vision.
Was it the correct decision to sell Anthony Gordon and how do you think he should be judged on his time at Newcastle United (and do you think he will prove a success at Barcelona)?
Ever since Gordon did an extended interview with Gary Neville along the sea front in Whitley Bay, I’ve been expecting him to leave the moment our progress stalled. He’s been one of best players across his time here, rarely serving up a dud performance. Some people questioned his work rate at times but I think that’s a little unfair. He’s occasionally guilty of throwing his arms in the air or making a daft tackle but on the whole he’s been one of our hardest working players. He’s probably not a club legend but if you look at what he’s achieved he’s contributed more than many cult heroes like Robert or Ginola did.
What do you predict will be the Newcastle United first choice eleven for the 2026/27 season and please put ‘new signing’ in any position where you think that will turn out to be the case.
New Signing;
Livramento, Thiaw, Botman, Hall;
Bruno, Tonali, Joelinton
Elanga, Wissa, New Signing
Is Eddie Howe still in charge next season the correct decision?
Yes but I think he’s probably used most of his credit with the fans and owners so will have little margin for error moving forward.
How confident are you that Newcastle will not lose Bruno, Hall, Livramento, Thiaw and Tonali? Do you think it would be a good thing if any of these players were sold?
I think Tino and Tonali are the most likely to leave but in reality I’m not sure anyone from this list will depart. No one will meet our demands for Tonali in the current market, unless Man City fail to get Elliot Anderson. I also can’t see Tino leaving at this point in time. If he were to depart we’d need to sign two right backs which feels incredibly unlikely.
Man U could offer silly wages to Hall which may tempt him but with Carrick staying in charge I think they’re likely to stick with Luke Shaw.
Which players emerge with credit for the 2025/26 season?
Thiaw
Bruno
Hall
Tonali
Which players do you think would be ideal (and realistic) signings this summer (don’t feel limited to only players who have been linked to Newcastle United in the media)?
Morgan Gibbs-White (pictured below) would be top of my pile.
Kayode from Brentford would be a good signing if Tino leaves.
I’m not sure who I’d target to replace Gordon but it has to be someone who can beat a man off the dribble. We don’t have enough of that in the squad.
We are now coming up to five years since the Newcastle United owners bought the club from Mike Ashley. Are you now more or less (or the same) optimistic about where they will take the club compared to how you felt back in October 2021? How committed do you think the owners are now to NUFC? Yasir Al-Rumayyan said the intention was to make Newcastle number one in the world, CEO David Hopkinson says the intention is that by 2030 the club will be competing to win all competitions. What do you predict will be the reality in the next five years?
I’ve got no reason to doubt those targets. These owners have delivered a trophy already and a level of progress that the club hasn’t seen in more than a generation.
How would you rate your optimism for next season at Newcastle United from 0-100?
If we can make the kind of transfer signings I’m expecting 85+
Will you be taking an active interest in the Newcastle United players at the World Cup?
Absolutely. I love the world cup.
When Anthony Gordon is playing at the World Cup will you still be thinking of him as one of our own?
To some extent yes. He conducted his exit with dignity and professionalism. I hope he does well.
What level of interest generally will you have in the World Cup and what is your prediction on who will win it and how far do you think England will get?
I’ll try and watch as much as I can, I love the world cup. England have to make the quarter finals as a minimum. It’s hard to look past Spain or France to win the whole thing.