Two years ago, Eddie Howe stood in front of the cameras at San Siro, proudly leading a Newcastle United side back into the Champions League after two decades away. The 2023-24 season would ultimately unravel, stretched by the rigours of Europe, broken by injuries, and undermined by a squad that, for all its talent, simply wasn’t built to sustain the load.
Now, as Newcastle prepare for their next return to Europe’s top table in the 2025-26 campaign, history threatens to repeat itself, but this time, with even fewer options.
Then and Now: A Shrinking Core
In 2023-24, despite the narrative of an “injury crisis” (and it truly was), Howe had 24 players who made more than ten appearances, essentially, a trusted senior core. This number doesn’t include fringe names like Paul Dummett or Matt Targett, who were rarely involved. Newcastle’s squad that year wasn’t luxurious, but it was usable.
Yet even with that depth, the wheels came off.
Injuries hit hard and fast, Botman’s knee, Willock’s hamstring, Barnes’ foot, and a months-long absence for key figures like Pope and Joelinton. The front line was patched together, the midfield overstretched, and the back line repeatedly shuffled. Newcastle finished bottom of their Champions League group, failed to reach either domestic cup final, and stumbled to seventh in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on Europe.
The numbers were clear, too many games, not enough fit players. And the consequence was a lost season.
Fast Forward: Fewer Players, Bigger Expectations
Now, as the 2025-26 season dawns, Newcastle are once again braced for the demands of European football, and once again alarmingly short on numbers.
Players like Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron and Sean Longstaff, loyal servants whose time had come, have rightly moved on. But only one first-team signing has arrived, Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest. Promising? Certainly. Enough? Absolutely not.
The squad, in terms of players Eddie Howe is likely to use, is smaller than the one that collapsed under pressure two seasons ago.
Botman remains a fitness doubt after another disrupted pre-season. Willock has yet to put together a full campaign since 2022. Pope’s form has dipped dramatically, raising questions about a position that had once been rock solid. Isak is the subject of constant speculation.
And yet, expectations remain sky high.
Howe’s Magic — But At What Cost?
Let’s be clear, Howe has been nothing short of miraculous.
In 2023-24, he guided Newcastle to seventh despite a mounting injury list and a squad that limped to the finish line. In 2024-25, he went better still, fifth in the league and a Carabao Cup win, all without any major signings that summer. The team was running on fumes. Howe kept them afloat.
There’s a very easy case to be made that no Premier League manager has squeezed more from less in the last two years. But even he cannot defy gravity forever.
As it stands, Howe will enter a Champions League campaign, eight group games at a minimum, plus a Premier League season, the FA Cup, and the defence of a League Cup title, with fewer options than he had in 2023.
It’s not sustainable. Not for the squad. Not for the manager. And certainly not if Newcastle want to establish themselves as European regulars rather than tourists.
Howe Deserves Backing — Real Backing
This isn’t about panic buying or throwing money for the sake of it. Newcastle’s ownership have rightly adopted a methodical approach, navigating financial fair play with care. But there comes a point where prudence becomes passivity.
That point is now.
Eddie Howe has proved he is the best thing to happen to this club in a generation. He’s restored identity, built a cohesive squad, and exceeded every realistic ambition handed to him. He’s earned the right to be backed properly, not just with words but with players.
Because without reinforcements, without two or three smart, immediate additions, this feels all too familiar. A promising season built on brittle foundations. A squad asked to do too much, again. A manager holding the pieces together with tactics, spirit, and tape.
Eddie Howe is elite. He’s not invincible.
Newcastle United must not make the same mistake twice.
