To change a winning team or not? That’s the dilemma facing Matthias Jaissle as Newcastle United head to Coventry City on Monday night.

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The Magpies rounded off the first stanza of the season with victory over Hull City, but did so looking down to their bare bones. With some players…

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Five years, to the day. We rejoiced, emotions unlocked, cans everywhere, thick heads the morning after, no doubt a sickie or two. The end of purgatory. New beginnings.

But five years is a long time in life, never mind football. And now feels like a good time to ask, has the PIF-led takeover of Newcastle United delivered what was expected? Has the Saudi influx been everything we ever wanted? Were those expectations maybe too high? Or is not that black and white?

Well, I can only speak for myself here, this is my opinion piece after all. I remain conflicted. While I wouldn’t swap some of the on-field achievements and moments for the world, the lack of spades in the ground (I know, we’re nearly there) still disappoints. And given what was promised vs what has so far been ponderously delivered, I think it’s OK to sit here still with a sense of the unfulfilled and unfinished. This takeover, for me, hasn’t, been what it said on the tin - but I very much believe it still can be.

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Now, before I get any entitled or over-expectant slurs, I know what we are, what we were and our journey to get here. I lived it with you, I bear those scars. I don’t think every conversation about progress and achievement needs to be caveated with this. I’ll humour it, of course.

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The boy is special. I’m not going to have anyone tell me otherwise. But I am, however, starting to have my doubts about Lewis Miley.

Now, I haven’t lost my head here. This isn’t some schizophrenic take, as much as the first statement of this piece suggests it. I love him, but niggling doubts have started to creep into my thinking about the player and his Newcastle United future. Here’s why…

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Why so negative, man?

Newcastle United have eight points from five games. From the corresponding fixtures last season they had just four. They’ve lost only once, have worked there way to the last 16 of the Carabao Cup, navigating a tricky(ish) schedule, particularly in R3. They sit ninth. Only four teams have scored more goals.

I know, but…

Players are improving - Lewis Hall is better than he ever was - Jaissleball, and its requirement for full-backs to maraud, has squeezed goals and assists out of him. It’s taken him from excellent to elite. Joe Willock has risen from the ashes, so too Yoane Wissa. Harvey Barnes is contributing, Anthony Elanga looked better pre-injury.

Yeah, but what about…

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Bodies are light in number, but Newcastle United need to be more than the sum of their parts this weekend, with three points on the line at St James’ Park

In-form, Premier League surprise package Hull City are on Tyneside for the afternoon, and while the Magpies are down to the bare bones in some departments, a win is a must to ensure the three-week international break is not a painful affair.

Matthias Jaissle knows best, but as I always do, here’s my thoughts on who he should pick. This is my NUFC XI to beat Hull City this afternoon.

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Lukas Hornicek - GK

You know the drill, so does he. Taken to Premier League football like a duck to water, so no debate on his undisputed position as NUFC no.1, in all but number.

Tino Livramento - RB

Comes in for the injured Amar Dedic. Has been eased in over recent weeks and now, fresh from England recall, he needs to hit the ground running - quite literally - in this full-back-reliant Jaissle system.

Malick Thiaw - CB

Will again skipper the side - and it’s now time for the central defender to show some leadership. We need a captain’s performance, because the last few have been far from his best.

Sven Botman - CB

Repeatedly, I’ve gone for Fabian Schar at left centre-back, but I’ve changed my mind. Botman needs to play himself into form. If the last few weeks is anything to go by, he’ll be a busy boy. Just please, no more gift-wrapping passes for the opposition forwards!

Lewis Hall - LB

New deal, same old player. This system asks a lot of the full-backs, and often leaves their part of the pitch exposed. But Hall has adapted well to the demands - he seems to fit the blueprint like a glove.

Joe Willock - RM

This is the controversial call. I don’t think he deserved dropped at Leeds. I know he’s not the answer, but his legs and energy make a difference in this team. I get it, I’m shoe-horning him in out of position - on the right - but needs must.

Lewis Miley - CM

We need a more mature performance from the youngster - it’s time to step out of the shadows. Miley needs to be brave with the ball, and diligent without it. He was too passive on Monday, he wasn’t the only one.

Sean Steur - CM

Says everything about the lad that he refused to be deterred by his Elland Road errors. Time and time again he wanted it, and kept doing the right thing. There’s a real talent in that. Too early for Aladji Bamba.

Harvey Barnes - LM

While his overall performances have been a little bit average - nowt new - his threat is undoubtedly there. Even at Leeds, he should have notched - and he has three goals already this season, in a team that lacks them.

Yoane Wissa - FW

The link man in this team. His workrate and willing has been second-to-none this season, so far. Just needs to keep it up. If he does, the goals and opportunities will flow eventually. Night and day from last season.

Matias Fernandez-Pardo - FW

Not the best of full debuts, but he was hardly given much to work with. Needs to be smarter with his runs and give his team better options. Patience needed with him.

It’s been the Wild West at Newcastle United lately. A western with no shots fired at times.

But a sheriff needs his trigger-shy gunslinger to deliver more than ever right now - it’s time step up to the plate Jacob Murphy, Matthias Jaissle needs you.

Anthony Elanga is set for an extended spell on the sidelines - MRI scans conducted on Thursday will decide the length. He needs replaced, and with the market not an option, the head coach must look within.

But let’s be honest about this, Jaissle is not exactly stacked with alternatives. And, as uncomfortable as that may be for some, all roads point to Murphy, even if he looks the least prepared for it right now.

As Jaissle says publicly, he loves him for his experience, game intelligence and ability, in short, to deliver exactly as he asks. However, and this is a huge caveat, Murphy is a confidence player whose confidence is on the floor. In a lengthening list of issues, this might be one of Jaissle’s toughest challenges - fixing the man who needs to feel loved to perform.

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‘Confidence player’ Murphy divides opinion - not lately

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Elland Road is loud. It’s in your face. The evening games have a menace about them, there’s often something brewing in the air.

Well, let’s hope it’s three points for Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle United - although, with Leeds also unbeaten, it is undoubtedly going to be a tough ride to take anything this evening.

It feels like at least one change may well be enforced on Jaissle, with Amar Dedic not yet pictured back in training after being taken off at Millwall, although that ship hasn’t 100% sailed yet.

But what other alterations should be made? Considering injury and fitness, here’s the XI that I think can deliver the Magpies’ second win of the Premier League season.

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We all have free will here, right? I can’t tell you how to feel about something, nor would I even try. I can only say how I feel. And I have to be brutally honest, I cannot look at Bruno Guimaraes and feel hate - I just don’t have it in me. It’s just not there.

And, in the interests of absolute honesty here, I’ve been telling that to everyone who’d listen, even before witnessing him tear Sunderland to bits on Saturday night.

I’ve not gone soft. I love a good hate. In a perverse way - we all know this feeling - there’s a joy in hate. Too much can eat you up, yes, but just the right amount - it can be, err, quite nice. But with me, and Bruno, it’s not the same.

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Football is a squad game. It really is. And when the Carabao Cup comes along many a manager takes the chance to shuffle his pack.

However, the skill is in striking the right balance. Too many changes and the identity is lost and quality drained. Too little and it might be a bit much, a bit soon for some, as well as an upset to squad dynamic, especially for those waiting on an opportunity to stake a claim.

We knew that Eddie Howe took this competition seriously. He won it, quite brilliantly, two seasons back. But we are stepping into the great unknown when it comes to Matthias Jaissle. Will he stick or twist? Well, for me, there’s plenty of positions to twist on, but one that he absolutely cannot.

Here’s my NUFC XI to win down at the New Den.

Lukas Hornicek

This is obviously the biggest call of them all. I have to say, I’m not much for changing keepers, never have been. And with Nick Pope the second option, I’m not sure I am yet ready for a return to that. I hope Jaissle feels the same, as a lot of the style may die with an alteration like that.

Amar Dedic

The only fit right back at the club, still. Tino Livramento is close, and you’d expect he would give one of the two - left or right- a break at some point in this encounter. But, for now, the Bosnian stays in from the start. I suspect he does anyway, mind.

Fabian Schar

Time for the experience. And, you know what, Jaissle might learn a thing or two by slotting the Swiss into the heart of defence. Don’t overlook Schar’s ability as a brilliant line-breaking passer. He might just fit like a glove if vertical football is to be the future.

Sven Botman

A very good start to the season took a dent on Saturday v Bournemouth, but I still think this is an opportunity to get as many minutes as possible into the legs of a man who is still woefully short of them over the last two years. Unless the load suggests otherwise, of course.

Lewis Hall

With Newcastle not playing again until next Monday, Hall will get the break he needs. The same goes with Dedic on the other side. No concerns about playing him in this one. Progress is needed - and he’s a key component of this XI.

Sean Steur

Loved what I saw of the young lad off the bench at the weekend. With Ramsey, it was was his energy which turned the tide of a very difficult midfield battle. Always scanning, always looking forward, he might have a bright future ahead of him - it might just be round the corner on recent evidence.

Nico Gonzalez

He didn’t play a lot before arriving and still looks like he’s trying to get to peak fitness. Nico is the man who will, in time, dictate the way NUFC play, so the more he does, the better for me. It’s all about understanding - that is something that can be bought with minutes.

Anthony Elanga

I was not impressed by the Swede against Bournemouth. Maybe it was a game that didn’t suit, but I thought it was a bit more than that. He offered little to nothing, and his defensive work felt a little shoddy, too. Go and get some form back in this one.

Jacob Ramsey

Been some talk of it this week, and it surprised me not to see it in pre-season, but I think it’s time to unleash Jacob Ramsey in the 10. He has the quality to play there. The only question mark was ever, does he score enough goals or create enough openings to warrant selection? This is a great time to find out.

Baz Toure

Hooked at half-time in the last round, it’s fair to say the lad looks raw. He did, however, score. Too early to judge his levels, but on pre-season, he looks like he has a wicked left peg on him. Needs finessed in other areas of his game.

Matias Fernandez-Pardo

I want to see what he has to offer. He’s clearly not fit, but an hour under the belt against a Championship side would do him the world of good. When he came on the park at the weekend he looked bright, light footed and with speed to burn. His pressing was good - you can see why he was signed. Great chance to get a goal. And let’s see Yoane Wissa from 60 onwards.

I’ve not lost my mind. I want to make that clear from the outset. I can feel criticism breathing down my neck. Controversial statement incoming, many will disagree and have good reason, but I can absolutely see a football logic behind keeping Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock at Newcastle United - and it goes beyond just giving Matthias Jaissle the keys.

Let me explain…

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‘Winning’ the transfer window is a term that’s entered the pantheon of modern day football fandom. Aye, I know, maybe I do spend too much time online.

While I’m happy to put the term ‘food-chaining’ in the bin, I’ll give this harmless competition a little bit of my time, particularly when I think you can make a case for Newcastle United, somehow, remarkably, coming out the back on this window stronger than they started it. Sounds mad even putting that down in words.

One deal ruined last summer. Six deals this time around have given the Magpies the platform to succeed. Where the Alexander Isak one set fire to the world around it, this half dozen laid the groundwork for Matthias Jaissle to potentially thrive - and all that under the cloud of constant change and churn. Here’s where I think they won - and where I think they suffered a minor lose or two.

There ‘here and now’ wins - time to level up

Change isn’t always to be feared, however, drastic change can go one of two ways. And draining the squad of manager, skipper and three major bits of quality and experience on top of that had many wondering if the summer was cooking up a disaster down the line.

But three transfers, all towards the end, changed that dynamic. And all came in under Jaissle.

Amar Dedic was the first. A Jaissle lieutenant. Tried and tested in his methods. On the face of it, looked a solid signing. Seen with truer eyes, in the flesh, it looks like potentially the most outrageous piece of business done across the division. Near £30million for a player who is aggressive, committed, quick, can defend, attacks like a winger and is a fit as a flea.

The second one - arguably the most important - was Nico Gonzalez. The drain of Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes left a huge hole to fill. It was one too big to be plugged with youth and needed some spice and experience. Gonzalez is the perfect shield Jaissle was looking for.

The third, and the one that really has people excited is, Matias Fernandez-Pardo. We don’t yet know how good he is, but it feels like a proper deal, done by a proper club. His debut will be Saturday. And while some caution must be urged, due to his lack of pre-season, nothing excites like a forward signing, does it?

The long overdue stylistic necessity

In order for Newcastle to progress, they needed to level up in the goalkeeping department. Nick Pope served a purpose, but that pass expired two years ago mostly. When he signed he took Newcastle on a level. He was excellent as they finished fourth.

Pope was also memorable in the first Champions League campaign, in fairness. Flawless in Milan and Paris alike.

But times move. And while Pope would have been a world star 20 years back with his goalkeeping fundamentals, the game requires more now. Newcastle needed more.

Lukas Hornicek can play. And now we know he can save, too. His ability to draw the press and hold on to the ball are invaluable. It’s gone under the radar, but his work with the ball has transformed the way NUFC can play.

Future-proofing the XI - but one goes further

This was the strategy shift. Sign young. Sign the player before he really becomes a player - and costs an arm and a leg.

While some of those who walked through the door under the age of 21 clearly need a little more time, as expected, one stands above all, ready to really impact the starting XI now.

Sean Steur needs some physical adaptation to the game, but the materials are there. He’s constant scanning and movement point to a player who is already one step ahead of play. His recoveries have been solid, too, highlighted at Spurs last weekend. Early days, but a potential star.

The exit that opened up the doors

Through all of this, none of it would be possible without Tonali’s exit. Without Newcastle getting £100million for the player, the rebuild, which looks to be the freshening up United needed, would not have been possible.

Gordon saved last season’s balance sheets. Tonali helped fund purchases. So too, Bruno, but that wasn’t, of course, planned.

Extracting that sum was the deal of the century, never mind the summer. I like Tonali, but he’s overpriced by half. It was genius by NUFC decision-makers.

The losses - yes, there were some

In reality, Pope remaining has left a little bit of a sour taste, probably for the player, too. A good character, and sound to have around, however, his time to move on was clear.

And the only other ones the club may live to regret is not extracting top value from the likes of Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock. But, in fairness, if MJ wants them, his call is final. End of story.

Has there ever been a bigger Newcastle United riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma than Nick Woltemade?

In all my time watching the Magpies, I’m not sure I’ve seen a player so doomed to fail from the minute he walked through the door. Weirdly, I’m not sure the German international really foots much of the blame for it.

In a world where, with the ink barely dry on his deal at Juventus, every man and his dog is keen to pounce on the narrative that Woltemade was not fit for purpose at NUFC, or the Premier League, I want to give a more contextual, nuanced view of what is hard to argue against a failed 12-month stint on Tyneside.

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Consumer culture. The throwaway society. Is enough ever enough?

That’s the question I found myself pondering after seeing social media’s response to the news that Newcastle United would be pulling off one of the coups of the summer - hats off to Ross Wilson and David Hopkinson - the signing of much-vaunted, much-coveted, Matias Fernandez-Pardo.

This is some bit of business, by the way. This is a player loved at Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and on the Arsenal long-list. Importantly, he was also big in Leipzig, they don’t sign players who don’t fit the ‘RB way’ - understandable now why Matthias Jaissle played such a big hand in negotiations.

While the masses seem happy with their club’s business, many did just seem to move on from it much faster than I anticipated, though. ‘What’s next?’ seemed to drive the narrative as strongly as ‘what number will he wear?’ or ‘how much will he cost?’. Maybe it’s a societal thing, maybe it’s not that deep. Maybe it’s just football and modern fandom. Either way, it makes for a good point to ponder on - do football fans always strive for more, is it in the blood, or can enough truly ever be enough, especially when it has the potential to be so special?

The NUFC narrative switch - a club & mood transformed

This last fortnight has delivered a transformation in personnel, strategy and mood few predicted. I didn’t. I was stood in the aftermath of the club’s third friendly ‘defeat’ on the bounce, questioning whether the team was ready for the Premier League - it started in just seven days. And my concerns were right. That wasn’t a ready team. It has shown since, with some extra time and classy additions, it can compete.

Newcastle United needed players. It needed quality. Its new manager needed backed. They have done all of those things. They have done so this week from a position of strength. The easy option was to do nothing. But they showed willing to deliver for Jaissle, for you, for the players, for everyone. And because of that, perceptions have altered. Gone are the days of predicting relegation battles - plenty did - and back is talk of a Euro charge. Now, both of those standpoints have the same flaws - we are only days into the season, and we don’t yet know what Jaissle’s NUFC really looks like, although we know it is direct and has bottle. Anything could happen, but the signs are positive, we’ve all seen enough football to work that bit out.

Transfer policy neglected talent drain - not now

Transfer chiefs spent 60% of the summer raiding the untried and untested youth ranks in search of the next Bruno Guimaraes or Sandro Tonali. They might have found one, but we will have to wait to find out. What that strategy neglected, having lost those two, and importantly Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier, was the need for experience, leaders and quality.

Then it was proven quality, plugging a midfield gap with passing metronome Nico Gonzalez. Another who leads not with words but by actions - good actions, actions that good it seems criminal he cost just £50million, there or thereabouts.

And finally, the act of sealing the deal for one of the most talked about forwards on the continent, having felt the transfer impossible only a few weeks back, is remarkable. It needs to be treated as such. Fernandez-Pardo will add speed, threat and replace direct actions that walked out the door with Gordon.

Will NUFC complete more deals?

Now, back to the want for more and question on enough.

The likelihood now is that Newcastle are - after Fernandez-Pardo gets done and Nick Woltemade heads off to Juventus - done for the summer, barring any last minute market opportunities. Ideally, would they have done more? Yes. But life isn’t perfect. Should that lack of final day drama take away from what has gone before? It should not.

This has been the summer to end all summers when it comes to transformation. Newcastle could exist another 100 years and not have to deal with the bumps in the road this one threw up. So to be coming out of it feeling arguably just as strong, if not stronger - this could easily just be riding the crest of a wave stuff - is a shock to the system.

Time will be the ultimate judge of this window, but the last few weeks have certainly been enjoyable. Cherish it - it’s very much felt like getting the old Newcastle back - even without a deadline day dopamine spike. I mean, I’d take one, I’m just not expecting it, nor should you.

Sandro Tonali is an oxymoron. I mean, some might just drop off the oxy, but I’m keeping it polite here.

He was everything Newcastle United needed - once - then, in the same sentence, it’s fair to say they don’t really miss him now he’s gone. I suppose 90 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will largely define the latter part of that argument.

He arrived to great fanfare, and left to so little emotion. It kind of summed him up really, the smile-less Brescia boy whose facial expressions told a story many just preferred to ignore.

Fans loved to sing his name, they wanted to love him and connect so much. There was a real charm to having an Italian, a decent one, with a catchy-ish tune to bend his name around. But the warmth was missing. This was no Bruno Guimaraes connect - yes, I know that one’s dead now, too. While Bruno was sex on the beach, Sandro was a Wetherspoons’ Fosters, with a dash of Limoncello. NUFC and Tonali didn’t belong together, it was a marriage of convenience (AC Milan, the jilted lover), much like that drinks combo. You’ve heard of a turbo shandy, what about a turbo Tonali? I’ll get my coat.

This isn’t bitterness, by the way. I rated Tonali. To a point. I think he is a player who was never really given a true platform to show his best football in Eddie Howe’s setup. He was signed to be a box-to-box runner, with a wicked shot, not a sitting six. But, in truth, Tonali didn’t work in the desired role, he was ousted by Sean Longstaff, the man he was meant to replace. It was only when he was shoe-horned in to the deeper role did he show some real promise.

He became the legs that Bruno left behind, or maybe never had - beware Arsenal.

The pair became telepathic. When Bruno went, Sandro hoovered up, when Tonali rarely did, Guimaraes was there to cover. Bruno was the creator, the dictator, the brains, while Sandro was the legs, the determination, the speed. They worked amazingly together, so well, in fact, they broke a 70-year-domestic trophy curse.

But despite what some would have you believe, Tonali was never as good or as needed or valuable as Bruno. Plenty tried their best to tell people that he was in the six-month purple patch between gambling ban and monumental mental sulk. He went on to prove his champions wrong, just when he was needed to be the midfield maestro the song purveys, he went missing.

Bruno was gone, so Sandro was to become the main man, wasn’t he? He went on ghost mode.

And that kind of brings me around to the here and now. Had Tonali left for £100million last summer, I reckon many would have understood. But off the back of the season that was, which largely ended for the Italy international in the press mixed zone after Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League, it made no sense.

Was Tonali ever as good as he looked between December 2025 and maybe September 2026? Or is Tonali never as bad as he presented for most of last season? Only he will truly know that, Newcastle have an idea. His head was turned, he told everyone around him he wanted to go and he had eyes for the bright lights. But does he really have the technical skills to play the role everyone assumes he’s great at? I seen enough of him to know the answer is probably somewhere in-between.

He was good, never great. A saviour then became part of the problem.

For without Tonali, I do not believe we make history in March 2025 - his switch was the kick up the backside the 25/26 season and team (partly in decline, even then) needed.

But last season, his drop off, partly fuelled by the fact he knew he was leaving, proved that Newcastle don’t need him. They can do better - they are doing better. They spent the £100million on three players for the same position - one of whom is arguably of a better level anyway, and one - Sean Steur - looks to have a ceiling as high as the Sistine Chapel (calm down, Sandro) and vision more beautiful. Importantly, all three want to wear black and white. This new version of NUFC has no time or want for players who do not buy in. I’m pretty sure Spurs might end up realising this one, too, in time. For Tonali it only ever feels like a holding pattern - one which ends when he’s affordable enough to return to his one true love.

Transfer windows for the masses tend to be largely enjoyable experiences. Who’s that new striker we’re linked to? How much do we have to spend? How much better will the XI look in September? It used to be like that at Newcastle United, too. Past tense was the key phrase. Well, whisper it - a bit quieter please - especially with four and a bit days of the window still to go, but are we, err, back?!

You all know the feeling. That burning sense of anticipation, the ifs, buts and maybes, the ticker, turning the back page over in the newsagent, get that radio on, gluing yourself to the box, waiting, hoping, yearning for something to get remotely excited about.

While many work themselves into an almost orgasmic state over deals, net spends and winning the window - I learned to loath it. Yeah, there, I said it. I hated the thought of the transfer window.

From the minute it opened, I wanted it over. Once where there was joy, now an existential dread. The lows are so low. The deal dopamine hit, that high, felt proper dirty in amongst so much doom and gloom - it’s sad to say but that had become my Newcastle United transfer reality. You may, if like me, have started to feel the same - even if you might not be keen to admit it.

Why do I talk like this, then? Well, last summer did it. Last summer and Alexander Isak killed my love of yellow things, Sky Sports News, managers with arms out their car window and strikers at service stations. Football heritage was replaced by the grim reality that maybe my football club, the one which even when in the gutter could always reach for the stars, just couldn’t. It could get out the gutter, yes, but no seat at the table, and definitely no invite for candlelit munchies at the big boys’ banquet.

Was it all a dream, or a lie? Was MY Newcastle United, always capable of punching above its weight, the one which broke world transfer records, fought for titles, just won a bloody cup, produced some of best talent this country has ever seen and signed Kevin Keegan in the second division before leaving in helicopter, yeah that NUFC, was my understood and lived reality, not actually real anymore?

Well, partly, yes. And I have come to realise, now, partly, no, too.

The rules and the want for no one other than the Super League Six to win everything, all the points, sign all the players, score all the goals and win all the trophies, all while collecting all the monies, too, means Newcastle don’t have an easy pathway, like virtually every other club in the history of football who found some cash down the back of the sofa. Cash is king in football and it is concentrated, and largely hived off by those at the top - all sounds a bit Hacienda Napoles, I know. I do get that bit, not that I think it isn’t a complete joke. The bit that made no sense was how my NUFC - like the one I described above - could no longer hang on to players, good ones, and also really struggled to sign players, good ones.

My NUFC, your NUFC, had been in a lot worse pickles than last summer before and had been able to hang on to better players than Isak. And that was probably the hardest gush of ice cold reality for fans - in our lifetimes we could not offer a footballer any more than this - a trophy, actual silverware, and Champions League - and he still didn’t care. He still wanted to go. That stung. Not only did it sting fans, it was a whole lot more damaging for the PIF project, or more importantly, the perception of it. Every man and his dog started saying no to Newcastle, it almost became a social media spectator sport played out among transfer negotiators and aggregators - NUFC want X player, X player rejects NUFC, or ‘insert big six name in here’ hijacks NUFC for X player. We became meme-central, it was an embarrassment.

For all that, Isak went anyway and wasn’t properly replaced. Good money led to bad choices - we all know how that feels. Then that all led into this summer. It would be better, they said, it wouldn’t be the same because there is infrastructure, bodies, expertise. Well, it did. It happened with Victor Munoz, then again with Johan Manzambi. It was the final straw for Eddie Howe, although, in truth, I felt that should have happened sooner, anyway. Time waits for no man, no matter his baubles.

Then came the exits, the planned ones - Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali. We can stomach those, especially the latter, who wasn’t really worth much more than NUFC paid, never mind doubling in price. But Bruno Guimaraes, not him, surely? Not this again.

The Arsenal exit of the Brazilian boy with the bucket hat, after a summer of strategy switching away from proven quality and into tomorrow’s Brunos and Sandros, coupled with the managerial exit and no real spades in the ground announcements to appease an increasingly transfer battle-weary fanbase, led many to reasonably question ‘what is Newcastle United anymore?’.

Well, here it is. This NUFC has now thrown its first counter-punch in a one sided 12-month contest. It has gone out and signed a player who could play for any team in the division. It feels much more of a proper, traditional Newcastle United move. And straight off the back of the Woolsington Hall announcement, the securing of gap bridging sponsors and with still room to move in the market, you’re not daft for feeling that our NUFC might just be on the recovery trail.

Maybe I don’t mind yellow after all. I might even turn on the lights, never mind the TV. And right now, if only for the last few days, I really don’t want this window to end.

One week left - seven days to save a summer.

Sounds quite dramatic, but the reality of Newcastle United’s trading period over the last few months is stark. They’ve failed to replace any of the top end quality which walked out the door.

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Newcastle United have completed the signing of Amar Dedic from Benfica on a five-year deal. Nothing out of the ordinary on that one? Well, think again.

The relatively modest £29m deal marks the first stanza of the true Matthias Jaissle era. This is no longer the Ross Wilson summer - this is full blown Jaissle…

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Newcastle United are a million miles away from being Premier League-ready - yet their season starts in less than a fortnight.

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