Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has praised Newcastle United. The four-time Premier League champions have claimed that the Magpies are now title contenders.
Speaking ahead of his team’s game with Fulham on Saturday, Guardiola praised the northeastern club.
“Newcastle have a good manager and top-class players,” Guardiola said. “I imagine they are going to stay there for a long time.”
“They have physicality in the middle, frame-to-frame transitions, and their intensity off the ball is impressive.”
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager also pointed out how Newcastle’s lack of European competition could help the team later in the season.
“Also, they are not playing in Europe, which is a big advantage because when you arrive in the last few months you have energy,” Guardiola said.
A historic club with new money
Newcastle is a major club with a long history in English football. Although they haven’t won a top-tier title in nearly a century, they have amassed four championships in their history. The Magpies have also won the famous FA Cup trophy six times.
However, the club has seen an influx of financial support over the last year. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund bought a majority stake in Newcastle in October 2021.
high profile additions
The team spent about $135 million on four new players last summer. Alexander Isak, Sven Botman, Matt Target and Nick Pope were all high-profile additions.
They also spent $130 million during the 2021/22 campaign. Compare this to when they previously averaged about $55 million in transfers over the four seasons before the acquisition.
The Magpies are currently inside the top four in the standings. Their only defeat of the Premier League season so far came against Liverpool, as a result of a dramatic late Fabio Carvalho goal at Anfield.
Newcastle will be looking to continue their impressive run on Sunday when they take on Southampton.
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