Indeed, the signings of Bruno Guimaraes, Matt Targett, Chris Wood, and Dan Burn in the January transfer window helped steer the club away from relegation.
That summer, the club signed Nick Pope and Sven Botman, who helped Eddie Howe construct the Premier League’s joint-best defensive previous season.
Except for Anthony Gordon, all that arrived in 2023 have failed to impress, with the exception of Tino Livramento.
Harvey Barnes may make it there after recovering from injuries, and Lewis Hall is beginning to impress, but Sandro Tonali will not be able to play until next season owing to a worldwide football ban.
Going back to 2022, however, another name emerges.
In fact, Howe was believed to have been so impressed with the player that he told the club to sign him after only watching him play for less than 30 minutes.
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What Eddie Howe was thinking when Newcastle United signed Alexander Isak
The striker arrived from Real Sociedad as a club record signing in 2022 and has shown to be an outstanding acquisition, despite frustrating injuries.
Isak has 29 goals in just 59 games for Newcastle, prompting speculation that he could leave the club.
However, Howe has stated that the 24-year-old is not leaving, and further information about how he made the choice to bring Isak to St James’ Park has emerged.
According to The Athletic, Howe was aware of Isak during his time in Sweden, but it wasn’t until he saw a film of the striker in action for Sociedad against Barcelona that he was fully convinced.
