Newcastle United Austria tour diary – The big transfer mistake that can't be repeated

It was of the home stadium of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Major League Baseball team.Moussa Sissoko was on target in a 1-2 defeat for Newcastle against Mexican side Club Atlas on a pitch painted over the baseball park.

Steve McClaren was in charge at the time, having replaced John Carver that summer. The club had spent big, at least in Mike Ashley terms, that summer. Among the signings was Florian Thauvin, who joined from Olympique Marseille in a £12million deal.

Thauvin never settled on Tyneside, and the winger was eventually sold back to his former club at a loss.

And, of course, the team was relegated that season. McClaren was sacked after a 3-1 home defeat to Bournemouth, then managed by Eddie Howe.

Back then, the club didn’t have the resources to help players like Thauvin settle into life on Tyneside – on and off the pitch.

Now the club is recruiting big again, it must invest in these roles to ensure that players quickly settle – and stay settled.

There are many challenges facing the club as it attempts to quickly push up the Premier League. The club was hollowed out during Mike Ashley’s time as owner, and it needs to be rebuilt, and built up, over time.

Thauvin got the support they needed from the club’s fans that season, but the club didn’t have the right support network for them.

We got a few glimpses of what that team was capable of in 2015/16 – Georginio Wjinaldum, for one, scored four times in a 6-2 win over Norwich City in October – but the club was deep in trouble by the turn of the year.

Not even Rafa Benitez, appointed following Steve McClaren’s dismissal, could save United from relegation that season.

Thankfully, that painful campaign is a distant memory. So much has changed since then, but the club’s new owners know that it’s not just the team that needs investment.

For the club to prosper on the pitch, it needs to ensure the club protects its transfer investment – and gives players all the help they need as they adjust to life on Tyneside.