Newcastle United fan favourite Warren Barton says supporters have every right to hold high expectations this summer ahead of what could be a historic summer transfer window. The Magpies are sat on 40 points after six consecutive home wins which has left them within touching distance of securing a top-half finish and the new owners will already be making plans for next season.
No team in Premier League history has been relegated after picking up 34 points from 31 games and Eddie Howe's side have a 15 point gap to the bottom three. The turning point for the Magpies' season was unquestionably the January transfer window, with Howe's side recruiting five players to breathe a new lease of life into a stagnating squad.
In an exclusive interview with ChronicleLive, Warren Barton said: "I think realistically we're safe anyway - the gap that we've got. But, that's not satisfactory, I don't think we should rest on that and say 'ok we're safe.' I think we've got to finish as high as we possibly can.
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"I know it's an old cliché to say it's going to be hard but a lot of these players are playing for their future to be part of this and build their reputation with the fans. Joelinton and Jonjo Shelvey have done that and it's been great to see. When you're playing for a club like Newcastle you've got to finish off as best you possibly can.
"Saying that the big games at home, the fans will demand they to do well both home and away. They've got some really good games to look forward to. The Wolves game was a massive result for everybody and the performance - Eddie [Howe] is going to try and motivate the players the best he possibly can so they should finish as high as they possibly can and go out and perform. Have some enjoyment about who you're playing and who you're playing for."
If the Magpies do nail down their place in the Premier League for next season, the summer transfer window could be a memorable one for Newcastle supporters. Gone are the days of simply hoping to be competitive, the takeover made the Toon the richest club in world football and Barton says supporters have every right to want the best players in the world at St. James' Park.
"The expectations should be high you're playing for Newcastle," Barton said. "We should demand that we challenge, that we compete going forward and try and attract the best possible players. We did that with Alan Shearer, we did it time and time again with quality players. David Ginola and Tino Asprilla, people like that, Gary Speed when he came.
"You want to attract top players. Everyone all over the world will be watching the situation with Newcastle. All the different agents and players will look at it and think 'I'd like to be a part of that.' You've seen what's happened with Man City, PSG and Chelsea, when money is put into a club it can transform people's perception.
"That's definitely what people will look at now. How are Newcastle going to react in the summer? With that people will put their prices up and we have to be realistic and not be took for granted.
"I think they've done great business so far. What I've heard about signing people on loan who are already there [Matt Targett] would be a good signing. Then you build on that and try and drive forward and get up there where we want to be competing."
Listen to Warren on Episode 24 of our NUFC history series 'Chronicled': 1995-1997 Challenging for the title
The arrival of Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Bruno Guimaraes gave Newcastle a much needed lifeline and a platform to build on next season. The Magpies owners stressed the importance of bringing in the right characters and Barton was full of praise for the January arrivals.
He said: "I thought we were magnificent - if you look at each individual signing, Kieran Trippier was the first one, a proper international player, he's won trophies. That was important as the first one. Bruno [Guimaraes] has come in and he's one for the future, he's took his time and bedded in.
"Chris Wood, Matt Targett and Dan Burn were for now. In three or five years they may not be at the club but we needed the quality. Targett has come in and been magnificent, Wood has only got two goals, alright, but what he's done for the team, he did it at Leeds and Burnley - he's been outstanding and an unsung hero.
"He's done what he needed to do and if it's another year he's with us that's great, if it's not, he won't be forgotten. The local lad - Burn - coming back, he wants to attack things. You can see the pride he has playing for Newcastle.
"They've been five really good signings and it's going to be hard to match that. They've all come in and played their part and it's lifted the players that are there, the players like Ryan Fraser, Joelinton, Jonjo Shelvey. "
For the three aforementioned players, they've found a new lease of life since Howe took over the reigns at St. James' Park, but it's fair to say a the vast majority of those involved with the club are looking over their shoulders. After years of under-investment in the squad Barton believes players need that uncertainty.
"That's what you want to be at a big club for," he said. "Mark Hottiger was there when there was links with me coming to Newcastle. Then when I was there, obviously Steve Watson was there and Aaron Hughes was coming through, Andy Griffin. You want to have people competing for your spot, that's what drives everyone on.
"There was probably only big Al [Shearer] that didn't have anybody breathing down his neck because he was the best striker in the Premier League. You want to have that and when we had David [Ginola] and Keith [Gillespie], Tino [Asprilla], Les [Ferdinand] and Alan [Shearer] there was an abundance if talent.
"Paul Kitson, the same with Scott Sellars, quality players who couldn't get in the roster. That was what Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson built and you want to hope that's what the club is building now - to have people competing for you."
Newcastle have been linked with just about every superstar European football has to offer. Barton believes the Magpies should focus their search on building a solid spine. He added: "I think another good defender, you can never have too many through the spine.
"The defence - a good midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder who can have a physical presence - then a striker. They're like gold dust and I know there's Wood and Wilson but we need another striker and maybe another wide player.
"They know exactly what they're doing [the new owners]. I've had the time and pleasure of speaking with the ownership and what they're doing. They're not going to be rushed into anything or panic buy, they know with the expectations of the fans and the media, they know what they need to do.
"They've got to do it wisely because there's only so much money you can spend at a certain time. I'm sure they've already looked at areas throughout the club that they want to improve.
"They'll have looked at the academy, the women's side, the stadium, the training ground, the city. They're all things that we couldn't dream about seven months ago, it was a fantasy. Now we're talking about 'can we get better players' rather than 'can we get a kid on loan to see us through the season'.
"It's been wonderful, the city and the fans deserve it. People have had to go through years and years of nothing and now they can dream."
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