October 7, 2021 is a date that will live long in the memory of many a Newcastle fan as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media finally took over the club.
Fans took to St James’s Park to rejoice the departure of former owner Mike Ashley after 14 years and also the hope of a brighter future on Tyneside.
The 12 months that have followed the takeover have arguably been one of the best years for the club in recent memory.
Transfer records have been broken, changes have been made and the good times have returned to St James’s Park.
Here are 24 key moments that define the first year of Newcastle United under new ownership...
21. July 15 2022: New CEO announced
The growth behind the scenes continued with the appointment of Atlanta United president Darren Eales as the club’s CEO. Eales is in charge of the day to day running of the club and is a key figurehead behind the scenes. Photo: Eddie Keogh
22. August 6 2022: A winning start
Expectations were high heading into the new season after a positive end to the previous campaign and solid recruitment over the summer. Newly-promoted Nottingham Forest presented somewhat of a banana skin for Eddie Howe’s side but they swept them aside with ease to pick up a convincing win. Although they’d had to wait for their next win, the side made their best start to a Premier League season since 2011-12, when they finished fifth. | Getty Images
23. August 21 2022: Newcastle scare the champions
Arguably one of the best matches at St James’ Park in recent years saw Newcastle go toe-to-toe with the almost unstoppable force of Manchester City and give them a genuine scare. Goals from Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier saw Howe’s side 3-1 up shortly after half-time as they had outplayed Man City for the best part of an hour. Unfortunately, City’s quality shone through in the end as they clawed it back to 3-3, but it was just further proof of how far Newcastle had progressed in such a short period. | Getty Images
24. August 26 2022: Record signing confirmed
The summer transfer window was drawing to a close when Newcastle quickly re-ignited their interest in Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak to complete a club record £60million move. The transfer took Newcastle’s spending in 2022 to £210million and was a further example of the ambitions of the club under new ownership. | Getty Images