Standing once again on the uneven periphery of the European qualifying zone, Newcastle United and Eddie Howe and all the squad know that the next few months are big.
The Carabao Cup final, against Premier League leaders Liverpool, is big, but so too is the upcoming run of top-flight fixtures that will make or break the chance of returning to the continent’s elite club competition.
23/02/25
Premier League
Nott’m Forest (H)
26/02/25
Premier League
Liverpool (A)
02/03/25
FA Cup
Brighton (H)
10/03/25
Premier League
West Ham (A)
16/03/25
Carabao Cup
Liverpool (N)
In Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, and Bruno Guimaraes, Howe has a winning ticket to the loftiest heights, the Champions League. However, Newcastle are a unit of many parts, with other players stepping up to the plate amid the ongoing resurgence.
Jacob Murphy’s form has been something to behold, but in the revived Sandro Tonali, United have a player every bit as gifted as St. James’ Park’s big three.
Sandro Tonali's resurgence
When Champions League-bound Newcastle signed AC Milan midfielder Tonali in July 2023 for a reported £55m fee, it was felt that Howe had landed one of the most talented players in Europe.
Andrea Pirlo, a man who knows a thing or two about silky midfield play, said in 2020 that the rising star was “the best in this league,” having won Serie A and proved himself to be superior to those around him.
Unfortunately, a few months into his Tyneside career, Tonali was hit by a lengthy suspension for betting breaches, severing his maiden Premier League campaign. Having returned at the start of the 2024/25 season, he’s established himself as an important counter-balancer alongside Guimaraes and Joelinton.
He’s one of those players who you need to watch. Forget stats. Watch him go. The calm and elegant nature of his passing, his positioning, and his intelligence, is a thing to behold at times, with correspondent Lee Ryder even calling him “perfect.”
There has been interest from his homeland of late but the Italy international is set to stay. He’s proof of Howe’s brilliance, but he’s not the only one. Indeed, Tino Livramento is already recorded to have surpassed his market value, another sign of Howe’s incredible management skills.
Howe's hit the jackpot on Tino Livramento
Newcastle’s success in assembling a top team since Howe’s arrival has been an impressive feat. Howe has remarkably raised the levels of several existing members, but he’s also known when to pounce on an exciting talent.
Livramento is one such star, with the Magpies signing Southampton’s young right-back in a deal rising to £40m in August 2023, Howe bringing him in.
Kieran Trippier’s long-term successor, he played an important role for Newcastle amid an injury crisis last year, hailed for his “fearless” performances by journalist Henry Winter and featuring 26 times in the Premier League, regularly filling in at left-back.
Completing 68% of his dribbles and winning 63% of his duels, as per Sofascore, Livramento proved that he’s got the gift to excel in England’s top flight. Still only 22, he’s moved toward replacing the 34-year-old Trippier for good, having already made 19 top-flight starts – more than last season’s 12.
Football Transfers have recognised the one-cap England star’s – who made his debut in November – potential, marking his projected price tag at £40m, in line with the fee paid for his services.
This is currently higher than Tonali, whose value has depreciated to £38m – likely a by-product of his many-months-long suspension last season.
Of course, we’re somewhat splitting hairs: these are two talented members of the Toon brigade. Success is very much on the cards this term, and while the likes of Isak and Gordon et al. are considered the heavyweights at Newcastle, the rise and rise of players such as Tonali and Livramento have solidified this high level that could soar higher still.
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