Newcastle United’s 2021-22 campaign finished on a high as Eddie Howe led his side to a 2-1 victory over Burnley. That win secured Newcastle an 11th place finish - an amazing feat after looking destined to be relegated to the Championship at one stage.
With the season starting in the first week of August, Newcastle’s hierarchy will have just a matter of weeks to get things ready for what will undoubtedly be a busy summer. While there is plenty of attention on the transfer window, there are several things that those in the boardroom will be looking to deal with quickly.
From season tickets to the futures of players, there will be little time for those making the decisions to rest. Here are four things right at the top of the to do list.
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Season tickets
It’s fair to say that the majority of fans are eagerly awaiting news of season tickets and how they might go about getting one. So far, there has been no information from the club although the official website has been updated with a new landing page for ticket purchases.
The Newcastle United Supporters' Trust have put forward their recommendations which include those previously with season tickets getting the first refusal before an allocation is put forward for members with previous ticket history and then general sale. In a survey of 2,023 members, 47.8% said they had concerns about the sale of tickets, and 50% agreed with the Trust’s plan for sales.
Social media is awash with theories of how ticket sales will go on sale - not everyone is happy with the Trust’s proposals. Others feel a general ballot is the fairest way, while some have suggested that with a reported 35,000 season tickets, the club may decide not to release any more and leave the seats on sale for match days.
With so much attention on season tickets - it may become the first thing the current owners do, and it’s not a job many will envy.
Pre-season tour
The Magpies were set to head to the United States this summer on a pre-season tour. They were scheduled to take part in the Ohio Cup with games taking place in Columbus and Cincinnati in July.
But plans have been thrown into disarray after the competition was suddenly cancelled. Eddie Howe was asked about the cancellation and said: “Our pre-season is without a tour at the moment but we plan on adding one to the schedule.
“We’re going through various options to try and find the right place to go with everything we want in that 7-10 days. We’re trying to figure out what to do next.
“It’s a shame, (I’m) very disappointed with the tour being cancelled as it’s been in the pipeline for a long, long time. It’s a huge disappointment to see that cancelled last minute.”
Chronicle Live understands European destinations are now being considered. With Newcastle under new ownership with big ambitions, some sort of pre-season tour may be seen as crucial to increase the profile of the club. With just over a month until the players return for pre-season, those behind scenes will be working hard to see if they can find an alternative to the Ohio Cup.
Next season's kits
Often the only thing Newcastle United fans, under Mike Ashley, could look forward to was the change in kits. Under the new ownership, supporters have much more to look forward to - such as the transfer window - but the new kits for the 2022-23 season are still provoking plenty of intrigue.
There have been plenty of leaks across social media - including a controversial third kit in what appears to be the same colours as the Saudi Arabian national team. There’s also a blue and yellow away kit which has gone down well with some.
The leaked pictures don’t include a sponsor - which has got people asking whether the current sponsor FUN88’s time has come to end. With reports that the government is pushing for a quicker ban of betting firms on the shirts of Premier League sides, a change in sponsor may be on the horizon. You’d expect news on the new kits imminently, especially with the quick turnaround to the new season.
New contracts and players' futures
There's plenty of interest in who may arrive at Newcastle United but there are a lot of potential exits too. There are question marks over the likes of Ciaran Clark, Federico Fernandez, Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle.
Players who have all been good servants to Newcastle but may well be shown the door as the club look to invest and build for the future. Isaac Hayden has also dropped some not so subtle hints that he may also leave.
One man whose future has been sorted is Sean Longstaff. Eddie Howe has made it clear that he wanted Longstaff to stay and the midfielder has signed a new three-year deal. The final few games of the season saw Longstaff put in some fine performances and was a reminder to many of what he can do.
The question for the North Shields lad was whether he had the fight to take on the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and a potential new arrival in the midfield for the spots in the middle of the park - or if he wanted to move somewhere with a better chance of first-team football. He's decided to stay.
There's also reports that Newcastle are looking to offer Howe a new deal after the head coach went beyond expectations and not only guided United away from relegation but turned them into one of the form teams of the year.
