There have been a few middling Premier League clubs over recent years that seemed like they were going to smash the metaphorical glass ceiling, forever dispel the use of the term ‘Big 6’ and cement themselves as a truly elite team in the English game.
Most recently it was Leicester. After their shock title win in 2015/16, they slowly built a very solid team that challenged very well for two-thirds of most seasons. They had European football, they were making big signings, they’d won other pieces of silverware… yet they never truly seemed to belong near the summit of the league. The last few transfer windows have been full of mistakes and mismanagement, leading to what looks like a relegation battle for the remainder of the 2022/23 season. A far cry from that Wednesday night under the lights at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Way back in 2014/15 and 15/16 it was Southampton. Two 7th place finishes left supporters dreaming of perennial European football ambitions, traversing the continent and challenging for major honours. Saints fans hoped their club would be the next big thing in English football, the next elite club up. Southampton could never shake the label of a feeder club to the likes of Liverpool and other top sides though , they could never hang onto their talent long enough to have a sustained run of success. They too, like Leicester, couldn’t sustain levels of performance like the so-called ‘Big-6’ could year on year. They too, like Leicester, are mired in a fight to escape the drop this year.
Going even further back, the best of the rest in the early 2010’s was undoubtably Everton. Year on year, pundits and supporters would wonder whether the Toffees could crack the top 4 (Liverpool were in a down period and City were just starting to get good) and win the prospect of Champions League nights at Goodison Park, having seen so much European history just across Stanley Park at Anfield. As if to complete something of a hat-trick of own goals, Everton, just like Southampton and Leicester, are also bogged down near the foot of the table.
Newcastle United are something of an enigma at the moment. They look like they’ve learnt lessons from those that came before them but with a couple of key differences. They’ve bought smart and haven’t been afraid to do so (unlike Everton and Leicester) and they’re not just a developmental team (unlike Southampton). Unlike the three teams however, Newcastle have their own very storied history and extremely wealthy ownership, surpassing that of even Manchester City. Newcastle seem like a team set up for an extended run of success.
This season in particular is key for the Magpies. They’ve played fantastic football so far through the first half of the season, rightfully having a comfortable hold on a European spot, while the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs are faltering below expected levels. If Newcastle manage to remain where they are in May, they will have a fantastic chance at becoming a silverware chasing side, like the traditional big boys of late. This is no easy feat though, just ask Leicester, so it will be interesting to see how Eddie Howe guides his side through the back-half of the campaign with drastically different expectations to when they started.
Personally, I see Newcastle being able to sustain this push on the established sides. They seem to have good transfer strategies in place, with enough money to buy whoever their model determines is best placed to improve the team. Coupled with that the draw to new players of Champions League football, a loyal fan base who stuck by even through relegations, and a forward-thinking, inventive manager, and the recipe for Newcastle to become an English football powerhouse just like Manchester City have become is all there. Only time will tell whether they realise their immense potential.
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