Last summer was a rollercoaster for Newcastle fans that saw superstar names linked with St James’ Park each and every day.
As PCP Capital Partners closed in on their takeover of the club, the press had a field day linking some of the biggest names with a move to the north east.
In a summer that ended with Jeff Hendrick arriving on a free, it started with the Magpies reportedly considering Philippe Coutinho.
While a lot of it was just paper talk, it showed the financial power that the club were about to have.
But now it’s March 2021, and the takeover saga that never ceases to end is set for an arbitration hearing.
Last summer was dominated by talk of the Owners’ and Directors’ test, and how that was the only thing the potential new owners needed to complete before getting the keys.
The issue is that the test went on forever and ever, eventually leading to PIF walking away as Mike Ashley took things into the courtroom.
After being linked with world class stars less than a year ago, Newcastle are now staring relegation in the face under Steve Bruce.
But would he have been in charge had the takeover passed?
Allegri to the Premier League?
In April last year, ESPN reported on some of the potential new owners’ targets.
They were interested in Edinson Cavani and Dries Mertens, as well as looking at a superstar manager.
According to ESPN, two men they were considering were Mauricio Pochettino and Massimiliano Allegri. Amanda Staveley and co wanted a huge name to kickstart this bright new era for the club.
However, that era is yet to begin, and there’s a chance it might never.
Instead, Newcastle have gone from having the pick of the bunch of managers to sticking by Bruce as he drags us towards the bottom three.
As for the two managerial targets, Pochettino is now PSG boss, while Allegri remains out of work.
However, he is the subject of Premier League interest.
According to the Times, Leeds have approached the Italian to see if he would be interested in heading to Elland Road.
The Yorkshire side are making preparations in case Marcelo Bielsa leaves this summer, and they look to be going big. This is a man who won five Serie A titles in a row at Juventus.
Allegri has been out of work since the summer of 2019, and if Leeds can convince him to come to Elland Road, it will arguably be a bigger coup than when Bielsa arrived.
It will also sting for Toon fans, as he was one of the superstar names linked with a move to St James’ Park last year.
While we await news from the club’s arbitration case, fans will continue to wonder what might have been, as they turn their attention back to the threat of relegation.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
