There has been a focus on youth development at Newcastle United ever since the PIF takeover in 2021.
Newcastle United have been on an upward trajectory ever since the £305m Saudi Arabia-backed takeover.
Last season’s injury crisis provided the first hurdle to Newcastle and Eddie Howe under new ownership, but the Magpies are now getting back on track.
The aim is for Newcastle to be “best in class” across every department, but that was never going to happen overnight. It is a long-term plan and will require patience, but all the building blocks are being put into place.
Especially with academy investment, which has been a big focal point for PIF and the club’s hierarchy in recent seasons.
READ MORE: PIF have made a big change to Newcastle United’s academy since taking over
Newcastle United academy progress under PIF
Now three years on from the PIF takeover, Newcastle are already starting to see the benefit from their academy.
Newcastle have the ‘unique’ 17-year-old Trevan Sanusi rising through the ranks and pushing for a debut. There are also three academy gems that have impressed staff and are also looking to breakthrough into Howe’s first-team squad.
Steve Harper, Newcastle’s academy director, has opened up on the changes to the academy since the takeover.
He told iNews that the academy has shifted from “survival mode to a performance mentality”.
Harper continued: “Amanda [Staveley] and Mehrdad [Ghodoussi] were very interested from the outset. We had a lot of consultants in to have a look at what we were doing and how we were doing it and that support has continued.”
How Newcastle United academy compares to Premier League
A report published this month by trainingground.guru ranked club academies based on their productivity, and it shows promising signs for Newcastle.
The report ranked Newcastle’s academy 18th in English football, which is still nowhere near where PIF will want it to be.
But the promising news for Newcastle is that their academy has climbed from a ranking of 27th in 2021/22 which shows the progress made since the takeover.
With further investment and time for players to develop, Newcastle will hope to continue climbing the rankings.
The table was judged based off the number of graduates who have either broke into the first team or gone on to play in a top European league.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
