Newcastle United have been busy this summer after an exceptional 2022/23 campaign under the leadership of Eddie Howe, who has spearheaded a long-awaited renaissance on Tyneside after years mired in mediocrity with detested owner Mike Ashley heading the table.
The £300m Saudi-led PIF takeover in 2021 was the genesis of a new era at St. James' Park, pumping money and care into an outfit desperate for a spot among Europe's elite once again.
Well, that's now been realised expeditiously; Howe transformed a relegation-battling outfit and secured a comfortable finish before enjoying a season of newfound success last time out.
To bolster the squad this summer, a wealth of signings were made and Newcastle are now poised for a lasting position battling for success season after season.
Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, Yankuba Minteh, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall were all welcomed to the Premier League side, now hoping to continue the meteoric rise.
How did Newcastle perform last season?
Last year, Newcastle were anticipating an exciting campaign after rising from the rubble to finish 11th with 49 points in the 2021/22 term after the emphatic purple patch following the winter transfer window.
What ensued came to the astonishment of even the most stern believers of Howe's vision for United, with a tremendous season built on cohesion and collective understanding within the squad resulting in Newcastle's qualification for the first time in two decades.
Indeed, losing just five times all season and concluding the term with the joint-best defence in the division – alongside champions Manchester City – the Magpies now await the return to Europe's premier continental competition, with a tantalising group phase against Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan confirmed.
While the defence was compact and resilient, the frontal vanguard enjoyed ample success too, with £63m club-record acquisition Alexander Isak impressing despite suffering an injury-hit year and Callum Wilson simply superb with his prolific presence up top.
Sven Botman was signed from French side Lille for around £35m as the club's new star centre-back, completing a backline that had previously welcomed Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn from Atletico Madrid and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively the past January.
Burn, notably, thrived as a makeshift left-back for the duration of the campaign, with the 6 foot 6 colossus hailed as an "absolute steal" by pundit Frank McAvennie.
Unorthodox, Burn was not the marauding modern full-back but instead utilises his solid defensive skills to maintain an iron-clad grip on the backline's structure and fluidity, ranking among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for aerial wins, the top 10% for clearances and the top 21% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.
While he impressed last year, Burn has been among the culprits for the poor start to the present season, with Newcastle losing three Premier League matches on the trot after a scintillating 5-1 win over Aston Villa in August.
Should Newcastle replace Dan Burn?
The £55k-per-week titan has started all four of Newcastle's opening matches of the campaign, but already has conceded seven goals as opposed to four last term – having completed an enthralling 3-3 draw against free-scoring Manchester City in that period.
Against Liverpool, Botman sustained an ankle injury that has ruled him out of contention since, with no confirmation that the 23-year-old will be fully fit once again following the conclusion of the current international break.
In his stead, Burn has returned to central defence to partner long-time servant Fabian Schar, though after getting dismantled by former club Brighton & Hove Albion during a recent 3-1 loss at the Amex Stadium – courtesy of the prodigious Evan Ferguson's hat-trick – it's unlikely that he will disrupt Howe's preferred axis with permanence.
During that defeat, the 31-year-old suffered a shameful display, winning just one of his seven ground duels (14%), being dribbled past twice, failing to make a tackle or interception despite committing four fouls, and being dribbled past twice.
Stand-in left-back Matt Targett was beset with similarly poor metrics, with The Chronicle's Lee Ryder remarking on his "miserable night" on the south coast.
When Botman returns, some might think that Burn can slot back into his role on the left side of the backline, but given that the exciting teenage talent Hall is waiting in the wings after joining on loan (with a £35m obligation to buy in one year) in August, perhaps it's time for the former Chelsea starlet to shine and cement a starting berth under Howe's wing.
What is Lewis Hall best at?
Hailed as a "top-tier talent" with "unbelievable dribbling ability" by BBC Sports' Raj Chohan, Hall earned a place in Chelsea's first-team last season after impressing for the prestigious Cobham Academy (actually winning the 2023 Academy Player of the Season award).
The 5 foot 10 dynamo is a natural centre-midfielder but was deployed from the left-back position last term to great success, earning an average Sofascore rating of 7.01 across his nine appearances, averaging 1.2 shots and 1.7 key passes per game, and also making 2.7 tackles per outing.
As per FBref, Hall currently ranks among the top 6% of full-backs across Europe's big five leagues for shot-creating actions, the top 16% for successful take-ons, the top 5% for tackles and the top 8% for interceptions per 90, highlighting a dynamism and multi-functional ability that perhaps Burn can't quite match.
Once heralded for his "assured" presence on the ball by journalist Fentuo Tahira Fentuo, Hall is in the maiden phase of his senior career but has started out with aplomb, shining in a dour Chelsea season and impressing Howe so much that he decided to use the last portion of Newcastle's transfer war chest to welcome him to the fold, despite speculation all summer regarding a Magpies move for Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney and Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella.
Having left Stamford Bridge to join his boyhood club on Tyneside, the talented Hall now has the perfect opportunity to cement a spot in Howe's starting line-up and continue his age-belying ascent.
Judging by their early season form, blooding such a competent youngster, and a new signing at that, could well be a move that gets St James' Park rocking again in no time at all.
