Newcastle United's form in the latter half of the 21/22 campaign was an illustration of the brighter horizons at St. James' Park, but few could have imagined such a meteoric rise so soon into the club's renaissance under new ownership.
Eddie Howe deserves all the plaudits for his diligent work alongside technical director Dan Ashworth, making moves on the transfer front to craft a successful outfit from relegation candidates and leading the Magpies into an ascent towards the Champions League, qualifying for the esteemed continental competition with a fourth-placed finish this term.
The current crop have been outstanding, but Howe will know that improvements will need to be made to ensure the return to the top remains perpetually intact.
A range of names have been in circulation of late, and one forgotten star who could make a marked impact on the Toon could be Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic, with the USMNT international attracting attention from several top European outfits with the Blues looking to trim their bloated squad.
Indeed, ESPN are reporting that while Juventus purportedly have the lead in the race for the 24-year-old, the Magpies are among a lengthy list of suitors – including Manchester United – and could capture the ace for a cut-price fee of £20m.
Should Newcastle sign Christian Pulisic?
Chelsea signed Pulisic for £58m from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, but due to injuries and the inflation of the squad, he has been restricted to only eight league starts this season, scoring one solitary goal and assist apiece.
The full might of his skill set was on show at the 2022 World Cup, however, recording an average rating of 7.20 – as per Sofascore – in Qatar, scoring one goal, supplying two assists, and creating 2.3 key passes per match, having notably "showed his class" in the words of Jamie Carragher during a stellar group stage display against England.
Quite simply, when given license to flourish, the £150k-per-week gem is a "magician" – as proclaimed by journalist Al Butler – and would enhance both his teammates in a prospective transfer to Newcastle.
While his creativity and fleet-footed progression on the pitch is tantalising enough to seal a move, signing Pulisic could open up the intriguing possibility of enriching Anthony Gordon's own prospects of success.
Signing for United for £45m from Everton in January, Gordon has not enjoyed the seamless integration he would have hoped, but did spark hope for his future fortunes on Tyneside by netting his first goal against Chelsea on the final day of the campaign, on his 16th outing.
Signing Pulisic, who plies his trade in the same area as the 22-year-old, would prompt Gordon to step up his game and seek a greater output to enhance his chances of succeeding,
As per Sofascore, he has averaged 1.1 shots and 0.4 key passes per game this season; this is a stark decrease from his output last term with Everton, averaging 1.3 shots and one key pass per game.
While the likes of Jacob Murphy have regularly found a starting berth ahead of Gordon at St. James' Park this year, Pulisic presents a far more similar profile on the pitch, and Howe will hope, rather than derail his £45m man, this would only spur him on to channel the entire scope of his potential.