This core squad of 20 Newcastle United players (18 outfield and 2 keepers) needed for 2025/26 | OneFootball

Which Newcastle United players are needed for this upcoming 2025/26 season?

A new season where United are competing on four fronts.

So which Newcastle United players do we need?

Also, just as importantly, how many does Eddie Howe need in his squad?

I think a lot of fans get a bit carried away with how many players are needed.

As Pep Guardiola recently said, it becomes a major problem when you have a fair few players who can’t even get into your matchday squad on any kind of regular basis.

For me, the priority is that Eddie Howe needs a core squad of around 20 Newcastle United players, 18 outfield and a couple of keepers. Which is of course, coincidentally, the number of players in a matchday squad.

You then will also have others who are additional to that core group of 20, a third keeper and some outfield ones, who are effectively covering that core group.

The bottom line for me is that it is essential that you have at least 20 players who the manager is perfectly comfortable with, where when any of them are put on the pitch there is no feeling of a huge drop in quality.

Which brings me to Eddie Howe and his Newcastle United players.

I think last season it was often a case of where superficially it looked like United had a fair to good bench in terms of back up. However, the reality was somewhat different. Which was summed up by the fact of how unwilling Eddie Howe was to use subs at times, even when the team might have been struggling on the pitch. Eddie Howe is no fool and clearly it was often the case where whilst some fans screaming for changes to be made during games, or indeed ahead of a team getting selected, that the NUFC Head Coach felt even keeping the same maybe below par players in the team/on the pitch was preferable to the alternative options he had on the bench, in his squad.

This is how I currently see Eddie Howe’s options, his core group of 20 Newcastle United players ahead of signings to be made, in brackets are the additional NUFC players on top of the 20.

Goalkeepers

Pope, Dubravka (Gillespie, Vlachodimos)

Defenders

Botman, Burn, Trippier, Livramento, Schar, Krafth, Lascelles (Targett, Ashby)

Midfielders

Joelinton, Guimaraes, Longstaff, Tonali, Willock, Miley

Wingers

Barnes, Gordon, Murphy

Strikers

Isak, Osula

When it comes to how many Premier League options you can actually have according to the rules, it is a maximum of 25 in your senior PL squad, plus Under 21 players.

The cut-off point for Under 21 players next season (additional to your senior 25 man PL squad) will be those born on or after 1 January 2004. Will Osula has now become a senior player but Hall and Miley still qualify as Under 21s, plus the likes of others who are in the U21 set-up. We have exciting younger players who could potentially get added to the fringes of the first team squad. Two 18 year olds who were already training regularly with the first team last season were right-back Leo Shahar and winger Trevan Sanusi. Hopefully this pair and others maybe pushing to be involved in the domestic cup competitions next season.

It may be brutal but this is how I see the core group of 20 Newcastle United players next season, from the current options:

Goalkeepers

Pope (Dubravka, Gillespie, Vlachodimos)

Defenders

Botman, Burn, Trippier, Livramento, Schar (Krafth, Lascelles, Targett, Ashby)

Midfielders

Joelinton, Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock (Miley, Longstaff)

Wingers

Barnes, Gordon, Murphy

Strikers

Isak (Osula)

This is not to say all of those in brackets aren’t capable of playing a part next season. Instead, simply a case of I don’t see them as at the level needed to be part of the core group of 20 that Eddie Howe essentially needs.

Lewis Miley and Will Osula are of course different to the others in brackets, these are two young players who I think will progress with time. However, I see them as additional options for now, so they would have places 21 and 22 in my core Eddie Howe squad.

The reality is that Eddie Howe hesitated to use both of these young players last season, even when the team might have been struggling in matches. Will Osula only managed 124 Premier League minutes in the 2024/25 season Lewis Miley only 304 PL minutes.

I think Sean Longstaff was a standout last season in terms of Eddie Howe not using him very often. In the 2022/23 fourth place season, Longstaff was an automatic first choice all season, yet for whatever reasons, Eddie Howe no longer sees him in the same light. Including starts and sub appearances, Sean Longstaff only managed a total of 788 Premier League minutes, which is the equivalent of less than nine full 90 minute matches.

Joe Willock was my weakest choice of the 14 players I kept in the core group above. He struggled for consistency last season, at times we saw glimpses of what he is capable of, but nowhere near enough. However, I think he is still a possible, somebody who could bounce back and be included in Eddie Howe’s core group of 20 Newcastle United players.

With only 14 identified, including Willock, that then leaves me finding at least six new Newcastle United players to make it up to a core 20.

I am confident of James Trafford becoming a Newcastle player, so he and Nick Pope becoming our two keepers.

I also think Anthony Elanga will be arriving as well.

On top of that pair, I think definitely a right sided central defender will be brought in.

Then I fancy a midfield option, a versatile forward, plus maybe another full-back/defender.

Not a case of needing to bring in six new Newcastle United players who will be going straight into the team. Probably a case of four real instant first team contenders, then another couple seen more as young squad players who can progress and who knows be capable of what in the longer-term.

Is this all achievable?

I think as a minimum we will see at least three first team contenders and one or more long-term prospects come in, who nevertheless will become part of the core group of 20 in the short-term.

Looking back at summer 2023 ahead of the last Champions League campaign, Eddie Howe brought in Tonali, Barnes, Livramento and Hall (and Minteh), plus Gordon had came in ahead of schedule in the January, becoming available then and Newcastle needing to act or else lose out on getting him.

I certainly won’t be complaining if Eddie Howe and NUFC achieve the same kind of recruitment this summer.