Newcastle United's summer reset has led to some questioning just how close the club are to the lofty ambitions set out five years ago in the wake of the PIF-backed takeover. But any doubts over the size of the changes the club have undergone since October 7, 2021, when the Mike Ashley era ended and a new future on Tyneside dawned, should be dispelled by their place in the cumulative Premier League table since that date.
While Newcastle have had to progress slowly due to strict financial rules, they have made huge strides both on and off the pitch. In fact, only three sides have picked up more Premier League points since PIF arrived on Tyneside, underlining the strides United have made.
A remarkable rise from the bottom
Bearing in mind the club were second bottom of the Premier League table, with no wins to their name, when Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi were handed the keys to the club five years ago, the rise has been remarkable. Since then, Newcastle have played 186 Premier League games and sit fourth in the cumulative table from that date forward.
Only Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have picked up more points than United in that time - and all three of those clubs have lifted the Premier League title in the last three years. Newcastle have won 85 times in the league since the takeover, drawing a further 42 times to pick up 297 points under Eddie Howe and now Matthias Jaissle.
Ahead of the chasing pack
While that's still some distance behind the leading trio, it's ahead of what Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham have picked up. When you consider United won just one of the first 13 Premier League games post-takeover, it puts the achievement in an even greater light.
Of course, they now face the challenge of maintaining those standards with a young side who need to turn potential into points. With matchwinners such as Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali no longer at St James' Park, they instead will have to rely on young guns such as William Osula, Sean Steur and Lewis Miley.
Looking to the next five years
That will not happen overnight, and new head coach Jaissle has spoken about the potential for something of an up-and-down season as he and his new-look side adjust to the demands of the English top flight. However, as we assess the progress made over the last five years, nothing illustrates the change more than that Premier League table above. If they can emulate that in the next five years, the club will be in a very healthy place.
