Newcastle United: A year on from club takeover, what has the impact been?

The club is still at the start of this journey. The owners will be both pleased with their progress so far and even more aware of how far they still have to go. I think it’s an exciting time for fans because after years of existing rather than achieving, the club is now being set up to succeed.

They have taken big steps forward with each transfer window – spending money, and recruiting smartly – but they are mindful of the impact of financial fair play restrictions. Key to operating within those rules will be improving the club’s commercial performance – and new sponsorship deals will help with that. Investment in the academy, so they can produce more players of their own, like the talented Elliot Anderson, is also important.

Jack: How quickly do Newcastle need to qualify for the Champions League in order to retain the top talent they have attracted so far?

This will be important because it’s difficult to see the likes of the brilliant Bruno Guimaraes, as well as he has settled in, wanting to stay for several years if the club aren’t competing at the top. They have made great strides over the past year and they won’t want to waste a transfer window as they try to achieve their objectives.

Qualifying for Europe again will also help make Newcastle a more attractive destination for potential new signings.

Jonny: Are there any plans for stadium expansion?

Such is the appetite for watching Newcastle, every match is now a sell out, and thousands of fans are left disappointed at being unable to get tickets. The club will want to find a solution, but increasing the capacity will be difficult given the location of the stadium.

Earlier this year, co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi appeared to rule out moving to a new ground, when he said leaving St James’ Park “would be like tearing your soul out”.

Richard: Signing new players is great in the short term but what are Newcastle’s plans for longer term development and to sustain a high quality?

The owners have been addressing issues at all areas of the club. Work to improve the training ground began earlier this year, after they acknowledged the facilities “fall significantly below the Premier League and perhaps even Championship standards”. They should still move to a new training facility further down the line. There have been further additions to Howe’s backroom staff, and the club are also understood to have increased the academy budget, with new players and staff joining the youth set up.

The appointments of Darren Eales as chief executive and Dan Ashworth as sporting director have been impressive, and now the club has some much-needed football expertise at board level – something that was lacking prior to the takeover.

James: Eddie Howe looks very much like a potential England manager, if that was to happen where would the club go from there?