Newcastle cannot afford for transfer history to repeat itself

Aston Villa's 2024-25 end-of-season awards dinner was in full swing when Damian Vidagany took to the stage. Just as Aston Villa disrupted the established order to qualify for the Champions League in 2024 and 2026, so too did Newcastle United in 2023 and 2025. Newcastle have had to become better sellers following years of imbalanced trading, but it still feels a world away from the feeling around the club going into last summer.