Ketsbaia’s Kick-Off Klub
There is a version of the Newcastle United story, one often whispered in the pubs around St James’ Park or in the quiet corridors of Benton, that Eddie Howe may be the best thing to happen to the club in half a century. It’s not just sentiment, it’s increasingly fact.
If we were going to be owned by a sovereign wealth fund, fine. But surely the point of selling your soul was at least to get something back? So, nearly four years on. And the question Newcastle fans are increasingly asking is: what is the point of PIF?
Newcastle United travelled to Glasgow hoping for a sharp, encouraging start to their 2025–26 pre‑season. Yet the 4–0 defeat to Celtic at Celtic Park offered little in the way of reassurance, and plenty to ponder.
The train rumbled out of Priesthill just after 11am toward Glasgow. Pre-season friendlies rarely inspire this kind of excitement, but after a difficult week in the transfer market, I was looking foreword to a few beers and see the lads turn out at the start of a new season.
Deployed as a striker under Steve Bruce, Joelinton struggled to influence game. Eddie Howe’s arrival in November 2021 marked a turning point.
For all the strategic planning and data-driven recruitment behind Newcastle United’s rebuild, the Magpies find themselves in a familiar position this summer: chasing a forward and running out of time.
With both Hugo Ekitike drifting towards Liverpool and João Pedro snatched by Chelsea, Newcastle United’s search for a new centre-forward continues.
Newcastle United’s pursuit of a new centre-forward this summer has been focused and ambitious. And there may be no better option than RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
It’s easy to overlook Eddie Howe. Amid the noise of Guardiola’s innovations, Klopp’s intensity, and the bizarre media obsession of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, Howe often sits in the shadows, unassuming, polite, articulate.
For all the cash spent on youth recruitment and infrastructure, Newcastle’s academy hasn’t produced a single player who looks genuinely ready to step into the first team. Not consistently. Not convincingly. Not even close.