Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe will have to wait a little longer before submitting his transfer A-list with meetings planned soon with Toon chiefs ahead of the summer trading period.
But even though he has picked up just one point from the last six available, and prolonging the wait for Champions League football, Howe has learned plenty about what is needed to keep grappling at the business end of the table. Despite an excellent return of eight wins, a draw and just three defeats in the dozen matches since the Carabao Cup final, it's obvious that playing pretty much at maximum level has still not stifled the threat of Liverpool.
Of course, all eyes will be on Leicester City on Monday night to see if they can do Newcastle a massive favour. If the Foxes do deliver, then it will be firmly in United's hands to beat Brighton then it would be pretty much all over bar the shouting.
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Meticulous Howe though knows it will then be about reshaping the squad to the point in which it can deal with the rigours of Premier League and Champions League action next season. In a week in which Kieran Trippier suggested the current squad would be strong enough anyway, Howe stated in his Press conference on Friday that he aims to strengthen in the next few weeks.
Next season will be tough enough with Man City, Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle vying for the top four again but Liverpool will be back and Chelsea will have Mauricio Pochettino in the hotseat. Tottenham Hotspur, who United will finish above for the first time in years, will also be looking to recruit one of the game's top managers.
Then there's the unknown quantity, this season that unknown quantity proved to be Newcastle. But already newly promoted Burnley are plotting away ahead of their return to the big time, and Vincent Kompany was a special guest in the VIP box at Elland Road yesterday as he spied on the Magpies from the stands.
There's no doubt about it, Newcastle will have - as Kevin Keegan once said - a "pack of wolves after them" next term. Back in 2012 when Newcastle last qualified for Europe, they signed just Vurnon Anita before sliding from fifth to 16th in 12 months, surely that wouldn't happen under ambitious new owners, but the recruitment must be spot on.
After the game, Howe was realistic about Newcastle's position and even dismissed that the flying start from Leeds was a wake up call. Instead, he simply stated: "It’s the hardest league in the world and we are under no illusions as to how difficult it is."
And that's the message Howe will give to his board during high-level meetings with the powers that be. United's guaranteed top six position hasn't come off the back of a fortunate run.
It's come off the back of Howe and his backroom team getting every ounce of quality from the players he has available. The strains of the season so far are already showing with a number of senior squad players injured and no longer able to play a part.
With added European competition next season, Howe will probably need at least two players in every position fighting for their place. United are more than halfway there in terms of quality but if the last fortnight has told us anything, despite being on the brink of Champions League action, to go again and compete will require some careful decisions in the transfer market.
