Previous season: 12th place.
It has been a turbulent summer on Tyneside, with several leading players sold and the coach who delivered the club’s first domestic trophy in 70 years also departing.
New head coach Matthias Jaissle therefore faces a demanding assignment.
The Saudi-backed project has lost much of its momentum following the exits of Eddie Howe, Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes from St James’ Park, leaving the club surrounded by instability and uncertainty.
Newcastle missed out on several priority transfer targets. However, goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek has joined from Braga, while highly rated midfielder Aladji Bamba has arrived from Monaco.
There is also considerable potential in Sean Steur, the 18-year-old Dutch midfielder recruited from Ajax, and Bazoumana Toure, the 20-year-old Ivory Coast winger signed from Hoffenheim.
Defender Amar Dedic has moved from Benfica and reunites with Jaissle, under whom he won the Austrian championship with Red Bull Salzburg in 2023.
Adding an experienced midfielder remains a major priority after the departures of Tonali and Guimaraes. Joao Palhinha has emerged as a possible option after an attempted move for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg did not come together.
Jaissle will need both a strong opening to the season and further reinforcements to ease the concerns of Newcastle supporters.
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