Since the Saudi PIF takeover in October 2021, Newcastle United have spent a small fortune to try and bring the glory days back to St James’ Park.

In the five years since their arrival, the Magpies have ended their 70-year wait for a trophy, subsequently claiming Carabao Cup glory in 2024/25.

The supporters have also been treated to numerous seasons in the Champions League - something which was a distant dream under the previous ownership group.

The fanbase were crying out for a new group to lead the club forward after the failures of Mike Ashley, with his decision to sign one player proving to be a huge mistake.

Why Newcastle got it all wrong with Miguel Almiron

For many years, Newcastle fans were furious with the lack of investment under the previous owner, but when he did spend big, it’s safe to say he got it all wrong.

Miguel Almirón was one of the biggest signings during his tenure at the helm of the Magpies, subsequently arriving for a then-club record fee of £21m in January 2019.

Such a move injected a sense of optimism into the fanbase, but the move for the Paraguayan was a complete disaster and one which proved to be a waste of money.

The now 32-year-old racked up 223 appearances for the Magpies over a six-year period, but he could only find the back of the net on 30 occasions - an average of one goal every seven and a half games.

His best spell came in 2022/23, when the winger netted a third of his entire goals for the club in that one campaign - as the Magpies finished fourth in the Premier League.

However, such a spell was just a purple patch in what was a disappointing spell on Tyneside, with the attacker only netting five goals in his following 59 outings.

Almiron has since moved back to Atalanta United in the MLS, with the club subsequently losing a small fortune on their investment from the January window in 2019.

Another Almiron has emerged at Newcastle

In an attempt to hand Matthias Jaissle the tools he needs for success at Newcastle, the Saudi PIF have spent a pretty penny on new additions once again this summer.

Money needed to be spent to soften the blow of the departures of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon who all moved on to pastures new during the off-season.

It’s certainly early days, but the players chosen to replace the aforementioned talents may have a mountain to climb if they are to emulate their success on Tyneside.

However, players who were already on the books have struggled to match their own transfer fee, with centre-back Sven Botman a player who certainly falls into such a category.

The Dutchman arrived from Lille for a reported £35m in the summer of 2022, with the hope that he can be a long-term solution to the club’s defensive woes.

Despite the early excitement around his signing, the fanbase have often been left frustrated with the 26-year-old as a result of his constant injury issues at St James’ Park.

He’s so far missed 68 league games in his four years at the club, with such a tally just 22 games fewer than his actual appearance tally since his big-money move.

However, even when he has featured for the senior side, Botman has often left much to be desired within the fanbase, as seen during the recent defeat against Leeds United.

Alongside his hefty transfer fee, the centre-back has also pocketed a pretty penny during his four years on Tyneside, with the Dutchman taking home £29m in wages during that time.

When combining such a figure with his transfer fee, the defender has cost the club around £64m - a figure way beyond the output he’s delivered on the pitch.

Whilst Botman still has time to turn his fortunes around in the North East, patience is starting to run thin within the fanbase given his struggles in 2026/27 to date.

Should he fail to turn things around, he could well emulate Almiron in being the next big-money talent to ultimately fail to deliver despite huge hype being generated around his transfer.