Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes were Newcastle United’s two big signings in the summer 2023 transfer window.

The duo brought in the bulk of £100 million, to hopefully help United progress again and move to another level.

Between them they have made a total of 12 Premier League starts in the 2023/24 season, with Sandro Tonali making five and Harvey Barnes managing seven.

The reasons were very different.

Harvey Barnes, an abnormal injury and Sandro Tonali, an… abnormal global betting ban. Or rather a global ban on betting on football matches.

For both of them, 2024/25 is a chance to get off to a good start with Newcastle United.

However, both were named on the bench more than the starting eleven in the Premier League.

Harvey Barnes five starts and six times named on the bench, Sandro Tonali has four starts and five times on the PL bench.

For many Newcastle United fans (and journalists), this has become a big NUFC issue, especially/ironically in those last two excellent Premier League matches that United won, against Arsenal and Forest.

The reasoning goes like this: having spent so much money (in relative terms compared to the usual suspects) on Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes, it’s a major problem if places can’t be found in the starting XI for them.

To me, I think they completely misunderstood things.

It’s a huge positive, in my opinion, for Newcastle United that Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes have come off the bench in these last two Premier League games/wins.

Below at Forestwith the score 2-1 we saw Eddie Howe bring on Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes and they took the game to the home team. Both played well and put United in control in the closing stages, and of course, a brilliant move which saw the two combine, sweeping the play from the NUFC penalty area all the way to the other end and Barnes bringing the score to 3-1.

The previous Premier League match, leading 1-0 against Arsenal and his team playing very well but perhaps needing a boost and fresh legs, came Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes to help achieve this great victory .

Go further back and win in the excellent cup Chelseait was Bruno, Burn and Livramento who came off the bench and contributed to this victory on the line.

This is what Newcastle United have sorely missed, having players of similar quality coming off the bench is such an important (vital?) part of the game these days.

How often do you see the usual suspects bring in substitutes who end up making a vital contribution to winning matches?

Yes, many times.

The days when there was a first XI are long gone.

It is now very important to have a larger group of quality players who can both come off the bench and/or switch for others.

I’m not saying that’s how I see his role going forward, but I find it mind-blowing that some Newcastle fans in particular are concerned that Harvey Barnes has been so effective from the bench. That’s surely one of the biggest positives you can have in the modern game, a Premier League player who can so often get on the pitch and score game-changing goals!

The fact that this doesn’t automatically make him a guaranteed starter next game doesn’t bother me at all. I just think, what extra weapon for Eddie Howe to have in his arsenal, especially if he needs a goal threat from fresh legs coming onto the pitch in a tight game.

As I said, I no longer see it as a Newcastle United first XI, I see it at least as 16 or 17 players, with five outfield players as well as a reserve goalkeeper who can hopefully enter the field and the quality no massive drop.

Welcome to modern football.