NO Champions League to deflect attention away from domestic matters, no manic fixture schedule to keep Newcastle United’s players off the training ground in a midweek. Also, as things stand, no crippling injury list, with key players back on the pitch rather than being closeted in the treatment room.

But also, for the first time since the Saudi Arabian-led buyout of Mike Ashley in October 2021, no Amanda Staveley or Mehrdad Ghodoussi in the boardroom, with Paul Mitchell now in place as Newcastle’s new sporting director and James Bunce having been installed into the new position of performance director. Other than Lloyd Kelly, William Osula and a couple of reserve goalkeepers, no new signings to speak of either, although that might change if the Newcastle hierarchy can finally persuade Crystal Palace to accept their improved offer for Marc Guehi.

Uncertainty abounds as Newcastle prepare to head into the new Premier League season, and as a result, it is hard to know where ambitions should be pitched. Is securing a return to the Champions League a minimum requirement given that Eddie Howe and his players will be able to focus their undivided attention on the Premier League and domestic cups? Or does the continued impact of the Profit and Sustainability regulations mean Newcastle have to accept that they remain some way behind the top five or six clubs in the country, meaning a top-eight finish and a decent cup run represents a reasonable campaign?

Newcastle’s inability to spend as they would like remains a frustration – especially when a club like Chelsea appears to be splashing the cash without constraint – but even without major summer investment, the Magpies’ squad looks strong.

Getting Joelinton and Joe Willock back has improved the midfield significantly, while Harvey Barnes should be a different proposition if he can remain fit for the whole of the season. Then, of course, there is the impending return of Sandro Tonali, with the Italian’s suspension for betting offences due to end in just over a fortnight’s time. Tonali is available for the second home game of the season against Tottenham on September 1. Given the way in which Newcastle stood by him after he admitted breaching betting rules, he should return to the fold desperate to repay the club’s loyalty.

It will be fascinating to see how Tonali, a flagship £55m signing from AC Milan last summer, fares on his return to the fold, but it is the continued presence of three other star performers that is the main reason for optimism ahead of the new campaign.

Sandro Tonali is scheduled to return to action at the start of SeptemberSandro Tonali is scheduled to return to action at the start of September (Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire)

Bruno Guimaraes, with his £100m release clause, Anthony Gordon, who was touted to Liverpool as Newcastle desperately tried to raise funds ahead of the PSR accountancy deadline, and Alexander Isak, who has been the subject of constant transfer speculation involving Arsenal, all currently remain with Newcastle’s squad. Provided that is still the case when the transfer window closes, and there is currently no reason to think otherwise, that will be the biggest success of the Magpies’ summer. No matter how much was raised by selling them, replacing any of the three on a like-for-like basis would be pretty much impossible.

Sven Botman’s absence for the early part of the season is a blow, with the simultaneous unavailability of Jamaal Lascelles exacerbating the problem. Kelly’s arrival ameliorates the issue slightly, although Newcastle’s need for another experienced centre-half is highlighted by their refusal to admit defeat in their pursuit of Guehi. If the Magpies can get a deal over the line for the England international, it will be the kind of statement signing that has so far been missing since the takeover.

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If Guehi signs, will that be the end of Newcastle’s summer business? Potentially not, although the budget for a right-sided attacker, which is the other gap the Magpies have been looking to fill all close season, will be affected by Palace’s refusal to accept Newcastle’s lower earlier offers for their prize centre-half. Selling Miguel Almiron would help, with Newcastle in talks with Charlotte FC, but the prospects of landing a Jarrod Bowen-type target have receded significantly since the start of the summer. Signing Noni Madueke, with Chelsea surely having to start balancing the books at some stage, feels a more realistic objective.

That should ensure Newcastle are reasonably well stocked in every area of the field, although there is a lot of attacking pressure on Isak’s shoulders, and it is worrying to think what would happen if the Swede was to be unavailable for a significant spell. Can Callum Wilson, currently injured and due to miss the start of the season, be relied upon to step in? And if not, is Osula, a 20-year-old summer acquisition from Sheffield United, ready to lead the line on a regular basis? If Isak is fit and firing, Newcastle should be fine. If he isn’t, though, it could be a case of having to fit square pegs into round holes once again.

William Osula joined Newcastle from Sheffield UnitedWilliam Osula joined Newcastle from Sheffield United (Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire)

Will Howe be the one doing that fitting? Of all the imponderables ahead of the start of the new season, the future of Newcastle’s head coach is probably the biggest. By appointing Lee Carsley on an interim basis for next month’s Nations League matches against Ireland and Finland, the Football Association have kicked the can marked ‘next England manager’ down the road. That might suit them as they look to attract the deepest possible pool of potential candidates, but it doesn’t really help Newcastle as it means the ongoing speculation over Howe will continue throughout the first half of the season.

Would Newcastle’s head coach really leave Tyneside to take charge of his country? There have been mixed messages on that score over the summer, with Howe understandably wanting to keep his options open. He has clearly developed a deep relationship with Newcastle and feels he is still in the relatively early stages of a long-term project. He is well paid on Tyneside, and loved by the Newcastle fans.

However, while the timing of his uncharacteristically confrontational press briefing in Germany this summer might not have been linked to the England vacancy, it nevertheless created the impression of a boss who was getting increasingly restless within his current role.

The departure of Staveley and Ghodoussi has deprived Howe of two key boardroom allies, and the arrival of both Mitchell and Bunce has shifted the goalposts, at least slightly, when it comes to delineating who does what it terms of recruitment and player management. That appears to have unsettled Howe, with the chaotic scrambling that resulted in the departure of Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh in the final hours before PSR calculations were concluded creating further instability. Newcastle’s executive team are confident they balanced the books in order to avoid a points penalty this season. Even so, their desperate dealing left a bad taste in the mouth and exposed failings in the club’s long-term planning. Clearly, such an undesirable scenario cannot be allowed to play out again.

Mitchell and Darren Eales have attempted to placate Howe since his German unburdening, and the likeliest scenario is that Newcastle’s current boss will remain in place as the FA turn elsewhere. This is a two-way street, though, and the Newcastle hierarchy might now feel they can raise their expectations of what Howe will deliver having provided him with a series of assurances about his post. The Magpies boss got something of a free pass last season given the number of problems that were thrown at him. There will be no such mitigation this time around if Newcastle’s league position does not improve.

Howe knows that, and has been happy to state that a return to European competition is a minimum requirement for the new campaign. As ever, winning a cup remains a huge ambition for a club that has been starved of major domestic silverware since 1955. Both targets are realistic, but this feels like something of a crossroads season in terms of Newcastle’s long-term trajectory under the current regime. Change is afoot – where it will lead remains to be seen.