There has been a realisation among Newcastle United players that promises from the hierarchy about winning major silverware within five to 10 years of the 2021 takeover were premature, according to the Daily Mail.
The Magpies were tipped to become a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League and Europe after their takeover by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, but things have gone differently in recent months following a bright start.
Newcastle stars have seen no improvement to the starting XI during the last two transfer windows, while there have been delays to plans for a new stadium and training ground.
The St James Park club finished fourth in the Premier League at the end of 2022-23 and qualified for the Champions League the following season, participating in the competition for the first time in 20 years as a result.
However, they narrowly missed out on Europe at the end of 2023-24 and it will take a significant improvement from them going forward this season to play continental football next term.
The likes of Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes now believe that winning a domestic cup or lesser European prize is a more realistic target for Newcastle currently, and fans will agree that they are no closer to challenging for the Premier League or Champions League.
PIF have only been around for three years, but the players now realise their promise of becoming number one in the world before 2031 is unrealistic going by the current situation.
Doubts continue to emerge over the speed of the PIF project at Newcastle, with investment in the squad slowing evidently in recent months, and it will take a miracle for them to start challenging the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City for the title anytime soon.
Indeed, the Profit and Sustainability rules of the Premier League have limited the Toons in the transfer market, and while those rules were not in place when Man City and Chelsea completed their takeovers, allowing the duo to transform their squads overnight, the truth remains that the Magpies owners have simply not lived up to the expectations, and the players no longer expect much from them.
