It has been a season of immense change on and off the pitch for Newcastle United.
At the start of the campaign, hugely unpopular owner Mike Ashley was still in charge, while hugely unpopular manager Steve Bruce remained in the dugout.
By October, Ashley had sold the club to a consortium lead by the Saudi Arabia-backed Public Investment Fund and a month later Bruce had been replaced by former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe.
Newcastle, though, were in dire straights in the Premier League, heading into the new year marooned in the bottom three, having won just once in 19 games.
A hectic January transfer window saw Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Dan Burn, Matty Targett, and Bruno Guimaraes all arrive and the mood on Tyneside was changing quickly.
The likes of Fabian Schar, Jonjo Shelvey and Ryan Fraser would all see their form revitalised under Howe's stewardship, while Joelinton was transformed from laughing stock striker to midfield maestro.
In 2022, Newcastle picked up 38 points – a haul beaten by only three sides in Liverpool (51) Manchester City (43), and Tottenham Hotspur (41) – and would finish the season in 11th place.
After the final day win at Burnley, Howe said: “It was very important for me that we finished in the way we have been playing for the majority of the second half of the season.
“We set very high standards and have a very good collective mentality. This was always going to be a very difficult match, not a technically pure match but we scored some good goals.”
And as for the summer transfer plans of the hugely ambitious club, Howe added: “We have an unbelievable spirit and mentality about the group and I definitely don’t want to break that.
“That's my biggest challenge – to harness and keep all the good aspects of the second half of the season as well as evolving and improving with new additions.”
In the gallery above, you can see the Newcastle player ratings for the 2021/22 season. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.
