Why Newcastle's history makers are breaking up
Alexander Isak spoke at Wembley about how there were "bright days in front of us", but the striker ended up pushing to join Liverpool for a British record £125m in the hope of winning even bigger prizes. Kieran Trippier, who set up Dan Burn's opener that day, is moving on this summer as Newcastle begin to lower the average age of the squad. There is ongoing uncertainty surrounding the situation of fellow cup final starter Fabian Schar after he entered the final weeks of his contract.
Elsewhere, Anthony Gordon, who was suspended for last season's showpiece, has attracted formal interest from Bayern Munich, albeit there is currently a gap in valuation between the two clubs. There are also question marks surrounding the long-term futures of Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali. Newcastle 's final home game of the season could therefore prove a St James' Park farewell for a number of influential figures on Sunday.
Evolution is natural, of course, and brings with it potentially exciting possibilities, but 13th-placed Newcastle have to get this rebuild right following a turbulent window last summer. Howe set to stay in charge of Newcastle after summit Howe was a couple of days into a family holiday in Canada when the club's then sporting director Paul Mitchell announced he was leaving. There may have been previously well-documented tension between the pair, but Mitchell's departure was far from a result for Howe, particularly when former chief executive Darren Eales was already on medical leave and receiving treatment after being diagnosed with a chronic form of blood cancer.
With no sporting director or chief executive in place for the most pivotal summer window in Newcastle 's recent history, Howe privately felt there was an "unusual dynamic" as the club "tried to make the best of the situation". Rather than going head-to-head with Liverpool , Chelsea , Manchester City and Manchester United for so many top targets, like they did last summer, Newcastle are going to have to be a little cuter, particularly with an inferior wage bill and potentially no form of European football whatsoever. Newcastle have since widened their recruitment network.
They are bidding to make smarter use of data after sporting director Ross Wilson walked into a club whose operation was way behind what he left at Nottingham Forest last October. Scouts are seeking undervalued talents and promising players with the potential to grow in the years to come. It had never been the intention for Newcastle to do the bulk of their summer business after the campaign had already started, but club chiefs will look to get deals over the line more swiftly this time around to ensure new arrivals have time to work with Howe in pre-season, even if the World Cup is admittedly an added complication.