As Newcastle prepare for the final stage of pre-season, manager Eddie Howe has to make key decisions in positions all over the pitch.
The late-arrival of many summer internationals, including Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon, who remain on holiday following their role in England's second-place Euro 2024 campaign, may influence Howe's decisions, but with a relatively favourable opening set of fixtures, it is important that the Magpies hit the ground running in the Premier League.
With a lack of new signings for the Toon thus far, it is looking increasingly likely that Howe will have a very similar set of players at his disposal for the forthcoming season.
Elliot Anderson, Matt Ritchie and Paul Dummett are the only players from the squad who travelled to Brentford for the final game of the 2023-24 season that Howe won't be able to call on. Anderson completed a move to Nottingham Forest, while both Ritchie and Dummett were released following the expiry of their contracts.
With Lloyd Kelly the only outfield player joining Newcastle, Howe will be relieved that players who missed the back end of last season, should be available for the new campaign. Among those are Joe Willock, Tino Livramento, and Fabian Schar.
However, the squad is still thin, and with Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles, Lewis Miley and Callum Wilson, still out injured, Howe has key decisions to make before the first Premier League game of the season, where the Magpies host Southampton at St James' Park.
This article will assess the decisions that Howe has to make, highlighting the gaps The Toon needs to fill in the transfer market.
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Who starts at right-back?
Kieran Trippier started last season as the first-choice undisputed right-back for Newcastle, however, injuries and poor form meant that Summer 2023 signing Tino Livramento played much more than first anticipated.
Trippier excelled in his first 22 months in the north-east before his form dipped in November 2023. Following a serious calf injury picked up in the Magpies 3-0 victory over Wolves at the start of March, the 33-year-old didn't make another appearance, until the penultimate game of the season, where Newcastle's wretched defensive form returned.
Coincidently, it was the game against Wolves that acted as a catalyst for Livramento to return to the team. Coming on as a direct replacement for Trippier, the 21-year-old scored his maiden goal in black and white, helping the Magpies keep a clean sheet for the first time in 10 Premier League games.
From there, the young full-back continued to excel in the absence of Trippier. However, he suffered an ankle injury that continued to hinder him for the rest of the campaign, ruling him out of the final three two games of the season.
With Trippier still not back with the squad after an extended pre-season break, it is expected that Livramento will be the player named on Howe's first official 24-25 team sheet. Furthermore, the rumoured potential departure of Trippier may mean that Livramento will occupy the position for the foreseeable future.
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Who partners Schär?
With long-term first choice left centre-back Sven Botman out for an extended period of time with an ACL injury, the position will most likely be covered by a combination of Dan Burn and Lloyd Kelly.
Fabian Schär has been at the Toon since 2018 and has played over 13,000 minutes in the league, largely being a mainstay in the team, especially since Howe was appointed in November 2021.
Last season Schär completed the second most minutes out of anyone in the Newcastle squad, and was a standout performer, leading to a much-deserved call-up to Euro 2024, where he started all five of Switzerland's games, before bowing out in the quarter-final against England.
While his place is secure for this season, at 32, this is likely to be his last season as a regular starter at the Toon, especially with his contract expiring next summer.
Burn filtered into the role next to Schär excellently last term, and looked much more comfortable in central areas, than he did at left-back. At 201cm, and the tallest out-field Premier League player, Burn won a whopping 68% of his aerial duels, and Newcastle looked much more secure when he and Schär worked into combination as the two centre-backs.
It is expected that Burn will start in the centre of defence, but the addition of Lloyd Kelly will provide competition until Botman returns.
Kelly worked with Howe at Bournemouth and joined the Magpies following the expiry of his contract at the Cherries. In and out of the team over the last few seasons, due to injury, Kelly is likely to play back-up in both the left centre-back and left-back roles.
Howe likes the left-back to invert and become the left centre-back in attack, creating a three across defence. Burn performed this role with mixed results, but Kelly is more agile and similar in possession, so he is a direct upgrade in that role.
However, Kelly is likely to have to wait for his turn, and will likely be reduced to bench appearances, but his versatility will serve him well in his long-term future at the club.
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Where does Lewis Hall play?
Lewis Hall had a relatively subdued first full season at the toon last year. Minutes were sparse and confined to substitute appearances, until the last third of the season, where a plethora of defensive injuries, meant that Hall was the only way Howe could turn to.
When he played he impressed fans and pundits alike. Inverting into midfield, his ball progression was among the highest in the league, completing 46 progressive passes in just eight games.
However, his defensive contribution was more troubling. With not much experience, Hall was often caught out of position, leading to claims that left-back might not be his long-term position, especially with his impressive on-the-ball qualities.
In the recent pre-season friendly, against Hull City, Hall was played in a much more central role, in the position Bruno Guimaraes usually occupies.
While the Brazilian midfielder will almost certainly keep his spot in the centre of midfield, Hall may be deployed as the left-sided midfielder of the three. On his favoured left side, he could turn into one of Newcastle's prime creators.
However, he is most likely to start the season at left-back, at least until Kelly becomes properly embedded into the club. While the inclusion of Hall has mainly been a positive sign, his defensive struggles may cause some issues, but against weaker opposition at the start of the season, Howe will hope his attacking quality will overweigh the instability he may cause in his own end of the pitch.
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What will the midfield look like?
Newcastle's midfield changed only when it needed to last term. Perhaps the most affected area of the club due to injuries, the ten-month ban awarded to Sandro Tonali meant that Howe had to shuffle his pack.
At first, it was the inclusion of Sean Longstaff, who played alongside Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes, but after yet more injuries, it was the turn of Lewis Miley and Elliot Anderson to slot in when needed.
However, the latter two will both be unavailable to Howe at the start of the season. Anderson has left the club, while Miley suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out until at least September. Tonali is still suspended, although he is likely to return on the third weekend of the season when the Magpies host Tottenham.
One player who was not seen much at Newcastle last term was Joe Willock. Signed from Arsenal in 2021, following a loan spell in which his goals, kept the Toon in the league, he hasn't hit the highs that were expected of him. Injury hasn't helped...
He played in as little as 418 minutes last season in the Premier League, less than Tonali, who was suspended for eight months of the season. Constant hamstring and Achilles issues had stagnated his progress, but Willock is finally back in the fold - he has not played a minute in pre-season yet as he works back towards full fitness.
His lack of minutes, and unavailability of other midfielders, means that unless Howe does decide to bring Hall into midfield, it will likely be Longstaff, Guimaraes and Joelinton across the middle.
However once Tonali is allowed to return to competitive football, it is likely that he will take the formers' spot, meaning that the Magpies will return to the same midfield that Howe favoured at the beginning of the 22-23 season.
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Who lines up on the wings?
Anthony Gordon was one of the stand-out left-wingers on the European stage last season. Despite being taken to Euro 2024, he was very unfortunate to be on the receiving end of a stubborn selection from Gareth Southgate and played only four minutes across the entire tournament.
However, despite being unable to alert the world of his talents, the Geordie faithful know what he brings to the club and the city of Newcastle. Being almost ever-present in the Magpies' squad last season, Gordon registered 12 goals, 10 assists and won 5 penalties in a break-out season for the winger.
Despite being linked with a move to his boyhood club, Liverpool, in recent weeks, Gordon is expected to be a toon player at the start of the season, but he, just like Trippier, has not joined up with the squad for the tour to Japan and instead is enjoying a well-deserved break away from football for the new season.
If match-fit, he is a shoe-horn for the left-wing role, with Summer 2023 signing Harvey Barnes needing to play a second-fiddle role, making the most of more sporadic minutes. The right wing however will create a much more interesting discussion for Howe and his coaching team.
The right-wing conundrum is an area of great concern to the Magpies as both Miguel Almiron and Jacob Murphy are not players that will be able to take Newcastle to the highest level of football.
While Murphy had fair attacking output last season, with seven assists and three goals, and is a work-horse off the ball, his lack of crossing accuracy and technical ability, registering a 22% successful cross-ratio and less than 15 passes a game, mean that his influence is greatly limited.
However, his influence is probably greater than Almiron who managed only one assist and three goals in the league last season. While he mirrors Murphy in his defensive capability, his attacking took a turn back to the pre-Howe levels, that Newcastle fans had become accustomed to.
A main reason for this is the constant unwillingness from Almiron to use his right foot. His insistence on cutting in from the right touchline makes him very predictable, and the overlap from Trippier or the touch-and-go with Guimaraes has been picked up on by defending teams, who now try to force him down the line onto his sometimes non-existent right foot.
So, while defensively the right wing offers more than most in the league, the attacking output remains weak. With Almiron only just arriving back from an extended summer break, Murphy is likely to start the first league game of the season, but reinforcements are desperately needed if Newcastle are going to get back into Europe.
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What do Newcastle need?
With the transfer business very slow-moving, Newcastle fans are growing impatient, especially with the season fast approaching.
The Magpies have already signed two goalkeepers this summer, in the form of John Ruddy, and Odysseas Vlachodimos, meaning that area of the pitch is covered, and defensive reinforcements through Lloyd Kelly should mean the defence is suitably covered.
However, AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw remains heavily linked with a move to the club, as a long-term replacement for Schär, while filling the short-term gap on the other side of central defence.
In midfield, another young midfielder should be brought in to ensure that the debacle of last season is not repeated, where the toon would often not name any senior midfielders on the bench, most notably away to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The reported interest in Luka Sucic is minimal but is likely to be similar to the type of player Howe's backroom staff will be on the lookout for.
However, the right wing remains the most important position to upgrade. Rumours are few and far between, with Fiorentina player Nicolas Gonzalez among those being touted with a move to the Magpies. Michael Olise was among those also wanted by the toon, before his move to Bayern Munich.
Finally, a young striker is needed to eventually replace Callum Wilson as the second-choice striker. While Alexander Isak will remain first choice for years to come, it is important to have rotation, especially with the Swedish striker's troublesome injury record.
Will Ousla was briefly mentioned, but Newcastle are likely to look abroad to someone with more international pedigree, as the player will play more than a bit-part across the season.
