All of the Newcastle United players in order of importance – I’m now looking back on my list… | OneFootball

Back in late May 2024, following the completion of the 2023/24 Premier League season, I asked myself the question – Who are the most important Newcastle United players?

Then I attempted to answer it.

When it came to buying and selling this past summer, who could (should?) Eddie Howe have been trading?

Inevitably, some Newcastle United players would leave, which is normal for any club every summer, to make room for and help allow new signings to come in, as well as assist this happening when it comes to finances…

So I have now revisited my article from 28 May 2024 to see in which order I listed our various members of the squad, in terms of how invaluable (or not…) they are/were. In my opinion…

With the benefit of these past six months, how are things looking for NUFC?

This is how I saw it back on 28 May 2024, all of the (then) current Newcastle United players in order of importance, ahead of the 2024/25 season:

Alexander Isak

Bruno Guimaraes

Anthony Gordon

Sandro Tonali

Joelinton

Nick Pope

Sven Botman

Joe Willock

Lewis Hall

Tino Livramento

Harvey Barnes

Elliot Anderson

Fabian Schar

Kieran Trippier

Dan Burn

Callum Wilson

Sean Longstaff

Miguel Almiron

Lewis Miley

Yankuba Minteh

Jacob Murphy

Jamaal Lascelles

Martin Dubravka

Matt Targett

Emil Krafth

Harrison Ashby

Bottom nine

Jamal Lewis

Garang Kuol

Matt Ritchie

Paul Dummett

Loris Karius

Ryan Fraser

Isaac Hayden

Jeff Hendrick

Always interesting to check back on what you thought/said/wrote in the past and none of these players who have left, were in my top eleven that I thought needed to be kept six months ago.

However, Elliot Anderson was 12th on my list and Yankuba Minteh 20th.

Then we also saw Harrison Ashby (26th) leave on loan, Jamal Lewis (27th), Matt Ritchie (29th on my list), Paul Dummett (30th), Loris Karius (31st), Ryan Fraser (33rd) and Jeff Hendrick (35th) leave.

I think a case of keeping things in perspective.

As we all know, the short-term PSR issue forced the sales of Anderson and Minteh, not ideal but not a disaster.

Which to me would have been the case if one of Newcastle’s very best key players, a Bruno, a Gordon, a Joelinton, or an Isak etc, had been sacrificed to solve that PSR problem.

Eddie Howe has built an excellent first team and to a degree, an excellent squad.

When I think of players crucial to this 2024/25 season and who could deliver some great outcomes, then that top six in my list (Isak, Bruno, Gordon, Tonali, Joelinton and Pope) absolutely had to be kept. It would have been at least a top seven, if not for the fact that Sven Botman won’t be available until sometime into this current season.

Then look at the next three on my list, most valuable 8th to 10th, Willock, Hall and Livramento have been outstanding in these latest wins over Chelsea, Arsenal and Forst.

Sometimes, transfer windows are at least as much about keeping your very best players as they are about adding other quality.