Gary Neville believes the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle United mean's the club's drastic improvement is 'not incredible' but has praised the Magpies for their 'measured' approach to recruitment. The emphatic away victory at Southampton on Sunday has guaranteed Eddie Howe's side will be in the top four at Christmas.
It is a drastic transformation in the space of a single year, with Newcastle winless and relegation favourites when the former Bournemouth boss was appointed. The new owners have spent in excess of £200 million in the transfer market, and a remarkable finish to last season saw the Magpies pull comfortably clear of danger.
This momentum has carried over to the new campaign, with Howe's side only tasting defeat once so far and winning six of their last seven Premier League fixtures. Victory at St Mary's was the perfect start to the final week before the World Cup break, with a Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace and a home clash with Chelsea to come.
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Neville has praised Newcastle's approach with their newfound wealth, avoiding the status signings that have typically accompanied previous takeovers. The Sky Sports pundit has also singled out Miguel Almiron's development, with the Paraguay international one of several players to improve significantly during Howe's tenure.
He told the Gary Neville Podcast: "It's not incredible because we know when Saudi Arabia came in, there was going to be more money put in. They were going to buy better players.
"The early signings have been measured, you see sometimes sovereign wealth funds coming into football clubs and all of a sudden, there has to be a star to pin to it. A badge of honour almost.
"We've not seen that with Newcastle actually, they've been a lot more measured in terms of how they've gone about it. Bringing in a manager, Eddie Howe I would think is fashionable but he would not be deemed a celebrity manager.
"The way they've done it has been quite controlled, and they've built a spirit and a good team ethic. They're getting more out of the players who were there before.
"Almiron, we were watching him then and thinking what's happened to him? He was almost ridiculed for the first year or two he was at the club. Now all of a sudden we're looking at him and thinking what a player he looks.
"You look at Newcastle and we shouldn't be totally surprised by the fact they've improved, but the biggest thing for me is the Newcastle United fans. Their ambitions were depressed for a long, long time. It was painful to go up there.
Neville added: "I have to say they are doing really, really well. I know there is the contentiousness around the Saudi ownership, especially with the World Cup coming up in Qatar. Abu Dhabi seem to get a way a little scot-free in Manchester because they've been here 10-12 years.
"I think it's going to come to the fore in the next few weeks and Eddie Howe will keep getting challenged on it. But what it has brought back is a spirit to the Newcastle fans."
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