Five things Newcastle must do in 2026

2025 was an unforgettable year for Newcastle United. The Carabao Cup win coupled with qualification for the Champions League for the second time in three seasons made it the best season in United’s modern history.

But football is a fickle mistress swallowing up those who stand still, and after a difficult summer and a disjointed first half of the 2025/26 season on the pitch, the club will need to get so much right in 2026 if it is to achieve its desired aims.

So, with that in mind, here are five things Newcastle United NEED to do to make 2026 a success:

1. Reclaim or create a new identity

It’s fair to say that Newcastle United is having an identity crisis going into 2026. The intensity which characterised Eddie Howe’s side in 2022/23 and 2023/24 had to be replaced due to a bloated fixture calendar at the behest of UEFA’s desire to appease the continents “glamour” sides and our own PTSD at the injury crisis we suffered last time around.

However, just what has replaced that “intensity” is up for debate as the side has struggled to find a consistent style of play leading to inconsistent form, and our diabolical away form further suggests that whatever Howe and the coaching staff are trying to mould us into is having extended teething problems.

It’s apparent that the team are trying to conserve energy during matches which leads to lengthy spells in games where we cede possession and unfortunately, we seem to concede during these spells far too often.

United, and Howe specifically, must find a new identity in 2026 or reclaim part of the old “intensity” identity (backed up by additions in the transfer market) if the next 18 leagues is to bring about the desired outcome of European football.

2. Qualify for European competition

Ideally the competition would be the Champions League as it would remove some debate around players leaving the club, although this is by no means a gimme as was evidenced by the Isak saga last summer.

Nonetheless it certainly would give us an improved platform for any negotiations with players, and it would be the first time one of the “challenger” clubs (i.e. ourselves & Villa) have qualified for the competition in back-to-back seasons.

With the current gap to fifth being just four points, and a favourable run at home upcoming, there is a possibility that come month end we could have put ourselves back into contention to finish in those UCL places.

Failing that Europa League qualification feels like an “at a minimum” outcome but I wouldn’t sniff at the Conference League either, however we would have to accept that some players may leave the club in both those scenarios.

3. Spend wisely and reinforce the squad

Since the takeover, the club has had an astonishing hit rate in the transfer market. Only really Lloyd Kelly and Matt Targett (more for his rumoured wages than anything else) have been failures and even then Targett had an excellent six months during his initial loan spell. Admittedly, the less said about Vlachodimos the better but by all accounts, he is doing very well on loan at Sevilla.

Bruno, Tonali, Isak, Hall, Tino, Woltemade, Trippier, Pope, Botman et al have all been a success and Chris Wood served his purpose, scoring some important goals and, more importantly, weakened a rival at the time. The youngsters (Osula, Kuol etc) are always a risk, but you also have the opposite in Yankuba Minteh whose sale saved us from a hefty points deduction.

The jury is still out on this summer’s additions (Woltemade aside) but with the executive structure sorted and PSR concerns banished going into the winter window and beyond, the club needs to make smart additions that address some of the weaknesses in the squad; including GK, FB, central midfield, RW and ST (if Osula leaves this month).

Willock is one to watch out for in terms of an exit this month and some of the squad’s older members (including Trippier, Schar and Burn) are coming to the end of their careers and bringing down the age profile of the squad is a stated goal of the new structure that has been clearly put out there by journalists.

4. Off field progress

For all the on-field success, which is a hugely important barometer to measure a club by, the off-field progress has been glacial. 2026 must bring clear messaging on the stadium and training ground (which is set to undergo more developments this summer).

The stadium is a long-term concern that will probably take a decade to realise and throw in David Hopkinson’s comments at a late 2025 fan event and it’s fair to say that the club will be staying at St James’ Park for the foreseeable.

However, let’s be frank, there’s no world in which Bournemouth (and if you haven’t seen the video tour of their new facilities then I’d suggest looking it up as it’s very impressive) should have a better training complex than Newcastle United and it’s something which is eminently within the club’s control in the medium term.

We need to see land bought, plans drawn up, and spades in the ground as the best sports science, recovery and training methods (and equipment) will remain beyond us if we stay at Benton. Furthermore, if we are to be “number one” in five years (as is the stated goal) we must have a state-of-the-art training facility pronto.

5. Time for the new executive structure to shine

Beyond the big-ticket infrastructure projects, the shiny new executive team (which admittedly is now missing a CCO after Peter Silverstone’s departure) must also bring a new dimension to how United operate in the football world.

There continues to be criminally underutilised sponsorship opportunities at the club but that appears to be why the club appointed a man with Hopkinson’s “strategic capabilities” as CEO and his 100-day review brought about Silverstone’s departure, so I would expect to see movement there.

New Sporting Director Ross Wilson must have overall control of transfers (obviously with the managers input) and his stated goal of lowering the age profile of the squad and targeting young players from the European market must be given time to bear fruit.

We’ve seen him have success at Forest with Murillo (£15m), Aina (Free), and Milenkovic (£10m) all being cheap deals from abroad that would probably find a place in our side now. All the sounds coming out of club point to these sorts of targets in Kees Smit and Dayann Methalie but only time will tell if United can convince young players of that calibre to sign for the club.

I think it’s fair to say, buckle up, as 2026 has the potential to be a rollercoaster ride for United, but if the highs can be higher than the lows and we can repeat some of 2025’s success whilst seeing progress of the pitch, 2026 could/should set the club up to achieve its long-term goals.

HWTL