Newcastle United do not do run-of-the-mill summer windows anymore. They have come to specialise in turbulent and extremely eventful off-seasons.From star-player sales to the departure of Eddie Howe during pre-season, the appointment of a relatively unknown head coach in Matthias Jaissle and the recruitment of eight young players as part of the bold and risky “Newcastle 2.0” reset, transformation has swept through Tyneside.Here, The Athletic reviews another rollercoaster summer at St James’ Park.The five best transfers of the 2026 summer windowTim SpiersWas this window a success or a failure?Members of Newcastle’s hierarchy view it as an overriding success — having followed and “executed”, as they put it, a coherent plan, while being dexterous enough to react to unforeseen or unwanted events — and a summer that felt stormy and occasionally desperate for supporters has ended with increasing positivity and optimism.As those connected with Newcastle have discovered, judging windows in their immediate aftermath can be imprecise, as perceptions are a moveable feast. But in the here and now, excitement and anticipation grip the fanbase.There is a real risk element to what Newcastle have done, as those at the top of the club accept, with experience and proven class sold (albeit for very healthy sums) and young, hungry but mostly unproven players brought in.All of Newcastle’s eight signings are 24 or under, including 18-year-old Sean Steur. Only Nico Gonzalez has played in the Premier League before. Jaissle, their 38-year-old head coach, is also a novice when it comes to managing in Europe’s top-five leagues.But there is a real energy and impetus behind Newcastle following an encouraging couple of weeks, on and off the field, during which Nico and Mathias Fernandez-Pardo have been acquired, the team have gone unbeaten in their opening three games and the club have announced their intention to build a new £190million ($256.4m) training ground.Change was desperately required at Newcastle, given the team felt stale during the final half-season of Howe’s tenure. Whether the scale of the squad turnover this summer is conducive to short-term success remains to be seen, but Newcastle feel like they have genuine momentum behind them for the first time in 18 months.At the very least, they will not be boring to follow this season.Matias Fernandez-Pardo impressed for Lille last season (Frederic Dides/AFP via Getty Images)How much did they spend and how much did they bring in?Spent: approximately £268million/$362m (but £300m, including all potential add-ons)Received: approximately £231m (but £245m, including all potential add-ons)Net spend: £37m (not including add-ons)Who have they signed?Eight players, while three stars were sold.Anthony Gordon went to Barcelona in late May, helping make Newcastle UEFA-compliant. In his place, Newcastle brought in Bazoumana Toure from Hoffenheim for £43m (although he was not first choice), before long-term target Fernandez-Pardo followed from Lille on deadline day for €60m (£51.5m, $69.4m). Stylistically, Fernandez-Pardo appears a far more comfortable fit than Nick Woltemade, who was loaned to Juventus.The exorbitant Sandro Tonali money from Tottenham Hotspur — a guaranteed £92.5m, potentially rising to £100m — was then used to augment other areas. The kitty was further bolstered by the unwanted and unplanned sale of Bruno Guimaraes, their former captain, to Arsenal for a £75m fixed fee.Those two automatic starting midfielders were replaced by Steur, who joined from Ajax for an initial £20.1m, Aladji Bamba, who cost £30m from Monaco, and later Nico. The Spaniard was signed from Manchester City for £48m and was a window-defining addition. His acquisition, at least as far as instant-window assessments go, appears to be one of the most reasonably priced deals of the summer.Kieran Trippier was released in June, so Amar Dedic, the 24-year-old full-back who worked with Jaissle at Red Bull Salzburg, was brought in from Benfica for around £29.5m and has made a magnificent early impression.The goalkeeper department was also completely revamped, with Lukas Hornicek joining from Braga for £25.7m to become the new No 1, and Ewen Jaouen signing from Reims as backup for £18.5m. Nick Pope remains on the books, though Aaron Ramsdale returned to Southampton following his loan.Were there any deals they wanted to do that they didn’t get over the line?Two of Newcastle’s top summer targets went elsewhere, despite deals being in place for both.Victor Munoz, the winger, looked set to sign from Osasuna in June, only for Liverpool to gazump Newcastle at the last moment. Johan Manzambi, the Switzerland midfielder, meanwhile, who was Newcastle’s principal target across the board, opted to move to Aston Villa.Marseille’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha were also among experienced midfield targets last month, though Newcastle believe their respective rejections proved serendipitous, seeing as they brought in Nico instead. Porto’s Victor Froholdt was also greatly admired, but a deal was not feasible.Are there still any obvious gaps in the team?‘Obvious gaps’ in the starting XI would be stretching it.There is not necessarily a natural creative No 10-type to play behind the striker in Jaissle’s 4-2-3-1 system, though the German has retained Joe Willock and has an array of versatile attackers who can be deployed there or interchange within a fluid front four.Depth at left-back is a concern and, ideally, Newcastle would have brought in two full-backs. Dedic and Tino Livramento can cover both sides, which helps, and Dan Burn remains an emergency left-back option.In future windows, a younger, faster centre-back feels required to augment an ageing cohort, with Burn and Fabian Schar both 34 and only Malick Thiaw possessing much pace.Dan Burn is an option at left-back if Newcastle find themselves stretched (Stu Forster/Getty Images)Do they have the squad to achieve their goals for the season?The cop-out answer would be to ask, ‘What actually are Newcastle’s goals?’Financially, they need to regain European revenues and will be budgeting for a top-seven finish.Realistically, that would be an excellent on-field achievement, given the squad churn and the late change of coach. But a top-half finish and sneaking into Europe should be the aim.Do they have a squad capable of achieving that? Your guess is as good as mine. There are so many variables when it comes to how quickly the young players will adapt, how Jaissle handles more challenging times ahead, and also how other teams fare, given how many other sides are in a state of flux, too.It will be fascinating to see how Newcastle perform.Will Jaissle be happy?Head coaches always want more in the market, but Newcastle have backed Jaissle and it will be difficult for him to argue otherwise.Unlike Howe, who saw his best players being sold from his team and may have felt he was being deprived of the tools necessary to succeed, Jaissle never actually had Gordon, Tonali or Guimaraes to call upon. The German wanted an experienced No 6, a full-back and another starting attacker — and Newcastle delivered on all three.Undoubtedly, in future windows, Jaissle will want to reshape the squad in his own image, but although it is short of top-flight know-how, Newcastle’s squad is high on hunger and energy.What will their priority be in January?There is no obvious priority. Newcastle did not miss out on strengthening the key positions they really pushed to augment.Perhaps bringing in another full-back, should Newcastle find themselves stretched there, or acquiring a young centre-half who then has time to become embedded within the group.Will they have money to spend?Without outgoings, club sources — speaking anonymously so they could talk freely — have suggested finances will be tight.Newcastle do not need to sell mid-season to be UEFA-compliant — which is the huge upside to their summer of sales, which has brought them back into the black — but the decision to spend big on Fernandez-Pardo means that further disposable income is extremely short.The club did debate whether to “keep our powder dry” until January, but opted to bring in Fernandez-Pardo instead. A sale or two could unlock mid-season spending if required, though.What is their strongest XI now that the window is shut(4-2-3-1) Lukas Hornicek; Amar Dedic, Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, Lewis Hall; Nico Gonzalez, Lewis Miley; Harvey Barnes, Yoane Wissa, Matias Fernandez-Pardo; Will OsulaThe full list of ins and outsIncomings: