As the old saying goes, a week is a long time in football. So imagine what can happen in five years.
Cast your minds back five years ago and Newcastle were battling relegation at the bottom of the Premier League under Rafa Benitez following promotion from the Championship the previous season.
Owners, managers and players have changed at St James’s Park since then as Newcastle, with Eddie Howe in charge, unexpectedly challenge at the top end of the Premier League table.
But what could life look like on Tyneside five years from now? To gauge this, we’ve taken to Football Manager 23 to see what they believe is in store for the Magpies at the end of the 2026/27 season.
Here, we take a look at what Newcastle’s team in five years time could look like - according to Football Manager 23.
1. GK: Gregor Kobel
Nick Pope was Newcastle’s No.1 for most of the five seasons but was replaced by the Borussia Dortmund stopper at the beginning of the 2026/27 season. Photo: Martin Rose
2. RB: Raoul Bellanova
Bellanova joined the Magpies from Cagliari for £20m and became a mainstay in their defence, racking up over 150 appearances for the club. Photo: Marco Luzzani
3. CB: Jurrien Timber
Timber has plenty of admirers in real life and cost Newcastle a fee of £60m in 2025 to prise him from Ajax. Photo: Clive Brunskill
4. CB: Ibrahima Bamba
Bamba currently plays in Portugal for Vitoria Guimaraes with Newcastle forking out £32.5m to sign him in summer 2024. Photo: MIGUEL RIOPA