There have been some big moves and there are more to come before the deadline (Picture: Getty Images/ metro.co.uk)
The transfer window slams shut on Thursday evening for Premier League clubs, so we are set for a wild few hours as last minute deals are done across the country.
There have been some huge signings so far, with Alisson arriving at Liverpool, Jorginho landing at Chelsea and Riyad Mahrez swapping Leicester for Manchester City, to name a few.
There are some more potential massive moves in the pipeline as well, so we can expect some drama in the transfer marker before Thursday’s 5pm deadline.
Here is every single transfer Premier League clubs have made so far this summer…
Arsenal
In
Bernd Leno – Bayer Leverkusen, undisclosed
Stephan Lichtsteiner – Juventus, free
Sokratis Papastathopoulos – Borussia Dortmund, undisclosed
Sokratis Papastathopolus has arrived at Arsenal (Picture: Getty Images)
Lucas Torreira – Sampdoria, undisclosed
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Matteo Guendouzi – Loreint, £8m
Out
Santi Cazorla – Villarreal, free
Per Mertesacker – retired
Jack Wilshere – West Ham, free
Chiori Johnson – Bolton, free
Vlad Dragomir – released
Takuma Asano, Hannover 96, loan
Alex Crean – released
Ryan Huddart – released
Tafari Moore – Plymouth, free
Aaron Eyoma – Derby, free
Hugo Keto – Brighton, free
Marc Bola – Blackpool, free
Kelechi Nwakali – Porto, loan
Jeff Reine-Adelaide – Angers, undisclosed
Matt Macey – Plymouth, loan
Chuba Akpom – PAOK, undisclosed
Calum Chambers – Fulham, loan
Bournemouth
In
David Brooks – Sheffield United, undisclosed
Diego Rico – Leganes, £10.7m
Jefferson Lerma – Levante, £25m
Jefferson Lerma played for Colombia against England at the 2018 World Cup (Picture: Getty Images)
Out
Benik Afobe – Wolves, £12.5m
Max Gradel – Toulouse, undisclosed
Lewis Grabban – Nottingham Forest, undisclosed
Sam Matthews – Bristol Rovers, free
Ryan Allsop – Wycombe, free
Baily Cargill – released
Ollie Harfield – Dagenham & Redbridge, free
Patrick O’Flaherty – released
Joe Quigley – released
Rhoys Wiggins – retired
Adam Federici – Stoke, undisclosed
Mikael Ndjoli – Kilmarnock, loan
Connor Mahoney – Birmingham, loan
Brighton
In
Alireza Jahanbakhsh – AZ Alkmaar, undisclosed
Leon Balogun – Mainz, free
Florin Andone – Deportivo La Coruna, undisclosed
Jason Steele – Sunderland, undisclosed
Bernardo Fernandes da Silva Junior – RB Leipzig, undisclosed
David Button – Fulham, undisclosed
Yves Bissouma – Lille, undisclosed
Percy Tau – Mamelodi Sundowns, undisclosed
Billy Arce – Independiente del Valle, undisclosed fee
Out
Ben Hall – Notts County, loan
Uwe Huenemeier – SC Paderborn, free
Steve Sidwell – released
Jamie Murphy – Rangers, undisclosed
Bailey Vose – Colchester, undisclosed
Robert Sanchez – Forest Green, loan
Conor Goldson – Rangers, undisclosed
Christian Walton – Wigan, loan
Henrik Rorvik Bjordal – SV Zulte Waregem, undisclosed
Tom Dallison – Falkirk, free
Rohan Ince – released
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Niki Maenpaa – released
David Ajiboye – released
Jonah Ayunga – released
Tyler Hornby-Forbes – Newport, free
Des Hutchinson – Waterford, free
Mamadou Saliou Kone – released
Tim Krul – released
Reece Myles Meekums – released
Rian O’Sullivan – released
Liam Rosenior – released
Steven Alzate – Swindon, loan
Jiri Skalak – Millwall, undisclosed
Sam Baldock – Reading, £5m
Burnley
In
Ben Gibson – Middlesbrough, £15m
Joe Hart has made the move across Lancashire to Burnley (Picture: Getty)
Joe Hart – Man City, £3.5m
Matej Vydra – Derby, undisclosed
Out
Scott Arfield – Rangers, free
Dean Marney – released
Josh Ginnelly – Walsall, free
Tom Anderson – Doncaster, free
Rahis Nabi – released
Jordan Barnett – released
Arlen Birch – released
Brad Jackson – released
Samuel Layton – released
Harry Limb – Kings Lynn, free
Chris Long – released
Khius Metz – released
Jamie Thomas – released
Conor Mitchell – St Johnstone, loan
Cardiff City
In
Bobby Reid – Bristol City, undisclosed
Greg Cunningham – Preston, undisclosed
Josh Murphy – Norwich, undisclosed
Alex Smithies – QPR, undisclosed
Out
Omar Bogle – Birmingham City, loan
Chelsea
In
Jorginho – Napoli, undisclosed
Rob Green – free
Jorginho could be a key figure at Chelsea this season (Picture: Getty Images)
Out
Trevor Chalobah – Ipswich, loan
Reece James – Wigan, loan
Dujon Sterling – Coventry, loan
Nathan Baxter – Yeovil, loan
Lewis Baker – Leeds, loan
Jordan Houghton – MK Dons, free
Kenedy – Newcastle, loan
Jamal Blackman – Leeds, loan
Mitchell Beeney – Sligo Rovers, free
Ruben Sammutt – Falkirk, loan
Harvey St Clair – Unione Venezia, free
Cole DaSilva – released
Matej Delac – AC Horsens, free
Eduardo – Vitesse, loan
Renedi Masampu – released
Wallace – released
Tushuan Tyrese Walters – released
Isaac Christie-Davies – Liverpool, free
Jake Clarke-Salter – Vitesse, loan
Joao Rodriguez – Tenerife, loan
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Todd Kane – Hull, loan
Mason Mount – Derby, loan
Boga – Sassuolo, undisclosed
Charlie Colkett – Shrewsbury, loan
Mario Pasalic – Atalanta, loan
Jacob Maddox – Cheltenham, loan
Fikayo Tomori – Derby, loan
Matt Miazga – Nantes, loan
Nathan – Atletico Mineiro, loan
Victorien Angban – Metz, loan
Kasey Palmer, Birmingham, loan
Kyle Scott – Telstar, loan
Crystal Palace
In
Vicente Guaita – Getafe, free
Cheikhou Kouyate – West Ham, undisclosed
Max Meyer – free
Max Meyer is in at Selhurst Park (Picture: Getty Images)
Out
Andre Coker – Maidstone, free
Damien Delaney – Cork, free
Jacok Kwame Berkeley-Agyepong – released
Diego Cavalieri – released
Victor Fundi – released
Lee Chung-yong – released
Bakary Sako – released
Yohan Cabaye – Al-Nasr, free
Everton
In
Richarlison – Watford, £40m
Lucas Digne – Barcelona, £18m
Out
Ramiro Funes Mori – Villarreal, undisclosed
Jose Baxter – Oldham, free
Conor Grant – Plymouth, free
Calum Dyson – Plymouth, free
Wayne Rooney – DC United, free
Luke Garbutt – Oxford United, loan
Sam Byrne – released
Louis Gray – released
David Henen – released
Joel Robles – Real Betis, free
Stephen Duke-McKenna – Bolton, free
Tom Scully – Norwich, free
Henry Onyekuru – Galatasaray, loan
Shani Tarashaj – Grasshoppers, loan
Ashley Williams – Stoke, loan
Antonee Robinson – Wigan, loan
Kevin Mirallas – Fiorentina, loan
Fulham
In
Maxime le Marchand – Nice, undisclosed
Jean Michael Seri – Nice, undisclosed
Fabri – Besiktas, undisclosed
Andre Schurrle – Borussia Dortmund, loan
Andre Schurrle is a big name signing for Fulham (Picture: Getty Images)
Alfie Mawson – Swansea, £15m
Calum Chambers – Arsenal, loan
Out
Ryan Fredericks – West Ham, free
George Williams – Forest Green, free
Stephen Humphrys – Scunthorpe, loan
David Button – Brighton, undisclosed
Isaac Pearce, Forest Green, free
Daniel Martin – Leeds, released
Djed Spence – Middlesbrough, released
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Joe Felix – QPR, released
Elijah Adebayo – Swindon, loan
Marek Rodak – Rotherham, loan
Tayo Edun – Ipswich, loan
Huddersfield Town
In
Ben Hamer – Leicester, free
Ramadan Sobhi – Stoke, undisclosed
Terence Kongolo – Monaco, £17.5m
Terence Kongolo has made his loan move permanent (Picture: Getty Images)
Juninho Bacuna – FC Groningen, undisclosed
Erik Durm – Dortmund, undisclosed
Florent Hadergjonaj – Ingolstadt, £4.5m
Jonas Lossl – Mainz, undisclosed
Adama Diakhaby – Monaco, undisclosed
Out
Tom Ince – Stoke, £12m
Dean Whitehead – retired
Rob Green – released
Luca Colville – released
Dylan Cogill – Clyde, free
Denilson Carvalho – released
Jack Boyle – Clyde, free
Regan Booty – Aldershot, loan
Jack Payne – Bradford, loan
Sean Scannell – Bradford, undisclosed
Jordan Hiwula – Coventry, undisclosed
Leicester City
In
James Maddison – Norwich, £22m
Ricardo Pereira – Porto, undisclosed
Jonny Evans – West Brom, undisclosed
Danny Ward – Liverpool, £12.5m
Rachid Ghezzal – Monaco, undisclosed
Out
Riyad Mahrez – Manchester City, £60m
Ben Hamer – Huddersfield, free
Connor Wood – Bradford, undisclosed
Robert Huth – released
Sammie McCleod – released
Cameron Yates – released
Dylan Watts – Shamrock Rovers, released
Josh Debayo – Cheltenham, free
Harvey Barnes – West Brom, loan
Daniel Iversen – Oldham, loan
Ahmed Musa – Al-Nassr, undisclosed
George Thomas – Scunthorpe, loan
Liverpool
In
Naby Keita – Leipzig, £52.75m
Fabinho – Monaco, £43.7m
Xherdan Shaqiri – Stoke, £13.5m
Alisson Becker – Roma, £67m
Alisson has been brought in to cure Liverpool’s goalkeeping problems (Picture: Getty Images)
Isaac Christie-Davies – Chelsea, free
Out
Emre Can – Juventus, free
Ovie Ejaria – Rangers, loan
Jordan Williams – Rochdale, free
Jon Flanagan – Rangers, free
Yan Dhanda – Swansea, released
Toni Corrreira Gomes – released
Andrew Firth – released
Mich’El Parker – released
Adam Bodgan – Hibs, loan
Paulo Manuel Neves-Alves – released
Harry Wilson – Derby, loan
Danny Ward – Leicester, £12.5m
Ryan Kent – Rangers, loan
Allan – Eintracht Frankfurt, loan
Ben Woodburn – Sheffield United, loan
Herbie Kane – Doncaster, loan
Manchester City
In
Riyad Mahrez – Leicester, £60m
Claudio Gomes – PSG, free
Philippe Sandler – PEC Zwolle, undisclosed
Out
Angus Gunn – Southampton, undisclosed
Yaya Toure – released
Pablo Maffeo – Stuttgart, undisclosed
Angelino – PSV Eindhoven, undisclosed
Ashley Smith-Brown – Plymouth, undisclosed
Rodney Kongolo – Heerenveen, £750,000
Javairo Dilrosun – Hertha Berlin, £200,000
Olarenwaju Kayode – Shakhtar Donetsk, undisclosed
Will Patching – Notts County, free
Pablo – Deportivo La Coruna, loan
Anthony Caceres – Melbourne City, loan
Divine Nash – AFC Tubize, permanent transfer
Sadou Diallo – released
Demeaco Duhaney – released
Erik Sarmiento Martinez – released
Pawel Kazimierz Sokol – released
Marcus Wood – released
Jacob Davenport – Blackburn Rovers, undisclosed
Matt Smith – Twente, loan
Ed Francis – Almere City, loan
Erik Palmer-Brown – NAC Breda, loan
Manu Garcia – Toulouse, loan
Isaac Buckley-Ricketts – Peterborough, undisclosed
Kean Bryan – Sheffield United, undisclosed
Tosin Adarabioyo – West Brom, loan
Joe Hart – Burnley, £3.5m
Brandon Barker – Preston, loan
Manchester United
In
Fred – Shakhtar Donetsk, undisclosed
Fred is United’s biggest signing of the summer so far (Picture: Getty Images)
Diogo Dalot – Porto, undisclosed
Lee Grant – Stoke, undisclosed
Out
Michael Carrick – retired
Joe Riley – Bradford, undisclosed
Dean Henderson – Sheffield United, loan
Daley Blind – Ajax, £14.1m
Indy Boonen – KV Oostende, released
Max Johnstone – released
Jake Kenyon – released
Ilias Moutha-Sebtaoui – Anderlecht, free
Devonte Redmond – released
Theo Richardson – released
Charlie Scott – released
Sam Johnstone – West Brom, £5m
Matt Willock – St Mirren, loan
Joel Pereira – Vitoria Setubal, loan
Axel Tuanzebe – Aston Villa, loan
Newcastle United
In
Martin Dubravka – Sparta Prague, undisclosed
Ki Sung-yueng – Free
Kenedy – Chelsea, loan
Fabian Schar – Deportivo, £3m
Fabian Schar is new at Newcastle (Picture: Getty Images)
Yoshinori Muto – Mainz, undisclosed
Salomon Rondon – West Brom, loan
Out
Macauley Gillesphey, Carlisle, free
Yannick Aziakonou – released
Kyle Cameron – released
Yasin Ben Elmahanni – released
Owen Gallagher – released
Jesus Gamez – released
Curtis Good – released
Massadio Haidara – Lens, free
Mackenzie Heaney – released
Tom Heardman – released
Jack Hunter – Gateshaed, free
Ben Kitchen – free
Oliver Long – free
Lewis McNall – free
Brendan Pearson – free
Callum Smith – Hull, free
Liam Smith – free
Craig Spooner – free
Dan Ward – released
Paul Woolston – free
Callum Williams – Spennymoor Town, free
Stuart Findlay – Kilmarnock, free
Alex Gilliead – Shrewsbury, free
Mikel Merino – Real Sociedad – undisclosed
Jack Colback – Nottingham Forest, loan
Chancel Mbemba – Schalke, undisclosed
Matz Sels – Strasbourg, £3.5m
Adam Armstrong – Coventry, £1.75m
Southampton
In
Stuart Armstrong – Celtic, £7m
Mohamed Elyounoussi – Basel, £16m
Angus Gunn – Manchester City, undisclosed
Jannik Vestergaartd – Borussia Monchengladbach – £18m
Out
Jordy Clasie – Feyenoord, loan
Guido Carrillo – Leganes, loan
Will Wood – Accrington Stanley, free
Olufela Olomola – Scunthorpe, free
Dusan Tadic – Ajax, £15m
Ryan Seager – SC Telstar, loan
Florin Gardos – Universitatae Craiova, free
Armani Little – Oxord United, free
Stuart Taylor – released
Mohamed Bakary – released
Ollie Cook – released
Jeremy Pied – released
Lewis Banks – released
Tottenham Hotspur
In
Out
Keanan Bennetts – Borussia Monchengladbach, undisclosed
Joel Pritchard – Bolton, free
Christian Maghoma – Arka Gdynia, free
Ryan Loft – free
Luke O’Reilly – free
Nick Tsaroulla – free
Anton Walkes – Portsmouth, undisclosed
Watford
In
Ben Wilmot – Stevenage, undisclosed
Marc Navarro – Espanyol, undisclosed
Gerard Deulofeu – Barcelona, £11.5m
Ben Foster – West Brom, undisclosed
Ken Sema – Ostersunds, undisclosed
Adam Masina – Bologna, £3.5m
Out
Tommie Hoban – Aberdeen, loan
Nathan Gartside – released
Dennon Lewis – released
Louis Rogers – released
Charles Rowan – released
Max Ryan – released
Connor Stevens – released
Carl Stewart – released
Costel Pantilimon – Nottingham Forest, undisclosed
Mauro Zarate – Boca Juniors, undisclosed
Brandon Mason – Coventry, free
Luis Javier Suarez – Gimnastic de Tarragona, loan
Nordin Amrabat – Al-Nassr, undisclosed
Richarlison – Everton, £40m
Jerome Sinclair – Sunderland, loan
Randell Williams – Wycombe, loan
Dodi Lukebakio – Fortuna Dusseldorf, loan
Harvey Bradbury – Oxford United, free
West Ham United
In
Felipe Anderson – Lazio, £35m
Andriy Yarmolenko – Borussia Dortmund, £17.5m
Andriy Yarmolenko has been in pre-season action for West Ham (Picture: Getty Images)
Jack Wilshere – Free
Ryan Fredericks – Fulham, free
Lukasz Fabianski – Swansea City, £7m
Fabian Balbuena – Corinthians, undisclosed
Issa Diop – Toulouse, £21.9m
Xande Silva – Vitoria de Guimaraes, undisclosed
Out
James Collins – released
Patrice Evra – released
Korrey Henry – Yeovil, free
Rosaire Longelo – released
Rihards Matrevics – released
Ben Wells – QPR, free
Reece Burke – Hull City, undisclosed
Marcus Browne – Oxford, loan
Cheikhou Kouyate – Crystal Palace, undisclosed
Sead Haksabanovic – Malaga, loan
Wolves
In
Rui Patricio – Sporting Lisbon, undisclosed
Benik Afobe – Bournemouth, £12.5m
Willy Boly – Porto, £10m
Raul Jimenez – Benfica, loan
Diogo Jota – Atletico Madrid, £12.6m
Leo Bonatini – Al-Hilal, undisclosed
Ruben Vinagre – Monaco, undisclosed
Roderick Miranda – Olympiakos, loan
Joao Moutinho – Monaco, undisclosed
Jonny Castro – Atletico Madrid, loan
Out
Barry Douglas – Leeds, undisclosed
Aaron Collins – Colchester, loan
Benik Afobe – Stoke, loan
Harry Burgoyne – Plymouth, loan
Sherwin Seedorf – Bradford, loan
Ben Marshall – Norwich, undisclosed
Roderick Miranda – Olympiacos, loan
Jordan Allan – released
Dan Armstrong – released
Anthony Breslin – released
Nicu Carnat – DAC Dunajska Streda – released
Ross Finnie – released
Conor Levingston – released
Tomas Nogueira – released
Adam Osbourne – released
Ryan Rainey – released
Jose Xavier – released
Hakeem Odofin – Northampton, free
Jon Flatt – Scunthorpe, free
Prince Oniangue – Caen, undisclosed
Rafa Mir – Las Palmas, loan
The Premier League, as it tends to, is returning for another season. Along with all of the goals, soap opera storylines and unmissable live clashes between Huddersfield and Southampton, we also have new home and away kits for every team taking part in the competition.
There was a time when a club would hang onto a kit for a couple of years, occasionally more.
That tradition has fallen by the wayside like teams running out of the tunnel ahead of kick-off instead of filing out politely in the world's least-useful jackets to share the sort of non-commital handshakes that would immediately disqualify you from Dragon's Den funding.
The slate of entirely new outfits is great news for annual kit ranking...
The transfer window in England will slam shut at 5pm this Thursday, the first time the deadline has been enforced before a ball has been kicked in the Premier League.
While it looks unlikely that this will be a record window for spending among England's top clubs - £1.4bn was spent in 2017 according to Deloitte - several big deals could yet happen before the window closes.
You can keep track of all the ins and outs on this page as clubs scramble to get deals over the line by the end of deadline day. Get a club-by-club summary in the chart below and scroll down to see every transfer in detail.
Rafael Benítez is frustrated that he has not been allowed the players he wants and that is unlikely to change as he enters the final 12 months of his contract and Mike Ashley remains in charge
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 13th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 10th
Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker): 750-1
The cult of the manager has become so powerful that their influence over events on the pitch can be exaggerated.
It is a caveat which most certainly does not apply to Rafael Benítez and Newcastle United, where the Spaniard’s transformative effect on a fairly limited squad can hardly be overstated.
Without Benítez’s painstaking training ground rehearsals, astute in-game technical area choreography and rare ability to improve certain players almost beyond recognition, Newcastle would not have finished a respectable 10th in last season’s Premier League.
‘I’m really worried’: Rafael Benítez concerned over Newcastle’s outlook Read more
The paradox is that Benítez’s success in defying the relegation a lesser coach might have presided over may prove Newcastle’s ultimate undoing. Liverpool’s Champions League-winning manager of 2005 has said he sometimes feels he gets “punished” for improving players and, in Mike Ashley, he is employed by an owner delighted to inflict such pain.
Ashley does not like splashing the cash on footballers so, possessing a manager capable of finishing mid-table with minimal outlay, represents nirvana to the sports retail magnate.
Unfortunately he now seems in real peril of losing Benítez next summer – and perhaps before – with the manager seeming to be at the end of his tether as he enters the final year of his contract and continues to decline to sign a new deal. Granted there is a deterrent to resignation in the form of a clause in the contract stipulating that the manager must pay Ashley £6m if he quits – perhaps this is one reason why Benítez recently parted with his Spanish agent? – but as the months roll by, restraint of trade laws will surely dictate that it becomes obsolete. “I can’t guarantee what will happen,” says Benítez. “But in my head, it’s stay and fight.”
The reluctance to allow any managerial speculation to accumulate is not merely restricted to transfers – where Newcastle are showing a healthy profit this summer – but extends to infrastructure. Indeed Ashley’s failure to provide assurances that he is willing to upgrade the training ground, under-23 set-up and academy largely explains why Benítez has claimed that “everything” is wrong behind the scenes at St James’ Park.
The Spaniard is primarily concerned about the depth of his squad and though he this week managed to secure West Brom’s Salomón Rondón in a 12-month swap deal involving Dwight Gayle, he also wants a No 10, a centre-half and a left back, but claims to have “no idea” as to whether they will be secured. “The fans have to be concerned,” he said. “We are concerned. I’m really worried.”
His anxieties are amplified by an unresolved debate between players and the board over bonus payments – which means the squad are currently refusing media commitments – but there has also been an erosion of trust between the manager and Lee Charnley, Newcastle’s MD who serves as a conduit between Ashley and Benítez.
The latter is a practised politician but his latest complaints run much deeper than merely being a case of a coach putting pressure on his board before the closure of a transfer window.
Perhaps by way of punishing the former Valencia, Liverpool, Internazionale, Chelsea, Napoli and Real Madrid manager for not agreeing that new deal, Benitez has been told he must sell to buy and will not be receiving the £45m he initially banked on spending.
The suspicion is that while the latter remains hungry for trophies and European adventure, simply treading water in the Premier League with its gargantuan broadcast deal is sufficient for Ashley.
Summer arrivals feature Martin Dubravka having made his move from Sparta Prague permanent for £4.5m, while Kenedy has also rejoined, on loan from Chelsea, Ki is now a midfield option after leaving Swansea on a free transfer and £3m transported Switzerland’s Fabian Schär from Deportivo La Coruña to Tyneside. A £9.5m deal for Mainz’s Japan forward Yoshinori Muto has also been completed.
Against that Mikel Merino has joined Real Sociedad for £10m, Aleksandar Mitrovic was sold to Fulham for £22m, Chancel Mbemba made an £8m move to Porto and Matz Sels headed to Strasbourg for £3.5m.
Benítez remains adamant a team vastly improved by the arrival of Dubravka and Kenedy on loan last January requires further reinforcement. Strengthening at centre-half seems a priority with Florian Lejeune now sidelined for most of the season with a serious knee injury.
As if Benítez’s mood was not already gloomy enough he is disappointed to have lost his key ally and press officer, Wendy Taylor, to the FA, where she will work with Phil Neville’s Lionesses. Meanwhile Peter Beardsley, Newcastle’s Under-23 coach has now been suspended since January while the club conduct a seemingly interminable investigation into bullying and racism claims, which he denies. The sense of stasis is both unfortunate and serves as a microcosm of the club’s wider woes.
Given that his team’s first five Premier League fixtures – Tottenham at home, Cardiff away, Chelsea at home, Manchester City away and Arsenal at home – are somewhat brutal, Benítez’s fears appear anything but overblown. Jonjo Shelvey is capable of lifting the team to a different level but the playmaker needs help; not to mention high-calibre strikers to aim those Hoddle-esque passes at.
One problem is that Ashley prefers to sign players aged 26 and under as they generally possess greater resale potential. He sees experience as overly expensive and was duly reluctant to pay hard cash for Rondón, who is nearly 29.
It all creates an overwhelming sense of an opportunity wasted. With their imposing city centre home invariably packed to 52,000-plus capacity, Newcastle should arguably be competing in Europe almost every season but, paradoxically, their fanbase’s apparently unconditional love for the club is a weakness as well as a strength.
During the past decade there have been a number of pressure groups and organised protests against Ashley’s regime - the latest if #ifRafaGoesWeGo – but they have barely raised a scratch on one of the thickest skins in football.
The owner might take notice were crowds to drop but Newcastle fans are both intensely loyal to the team and considerably less militant than often advertised. Things might change if Benítez quits but, significantly, the branch of Sports Direct sited on Northumberland Street, one of the city’s main shopping thoroughfares, continues to thrive.
In an ideal world Ashley would sell Newcastle for £400m but buyers remain elusive – at least at that price – and Amanda Staveley’s much mooted bid for the club last season ultimately came to nothing.
If it is not impossible that Tyneside could wake up one morning to learn that the club has been taken over by a new rich owner – as Manchester City have proved the most significant buy-outs tend to occur amid utter discretion – but it is also quite likely that the current regime will outlast Benítez at St James’.
