Seven months ago, Newcastle United's chief executive David Hopkinson said he could put them "in the debate about being the top club in the world" by 2030. The departure of manager Eddie Howe on Thursday, and reported appointment of Matthias Jaissle, is the result of a poor Premier League season, where Newcastle finished 12th, and an uninspiring transfer window. Newcastle have let go some of their biggest players in Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali while captain Bruno Guimaraes is also rumoured to be on his way out. Transfers the other way have not exactly been flooding in either, with Newcastle missing out on Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi to Aston Villa and Spanish winger Victor Munoz to Liverpool. Newcastle's Saudi Arabia-backed takeover in 2021 - by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) - was supposed to lead to them becoming one of the world's top clubs.