After what was an utterly harrowing season in the Premier League for Newcastle United, both fans and players alike will be hoping that much happier times are on the horizon in the Championship.

The Magpies return for pre-season training in less than two weeks and already have friendlies lined up against Bohemians, Doncaster Rovers and Sporting Lokeren.

Rafa Benitez cancelled his scheduled summer holiday as “work needed to be done” before next season commences. The Spaniard brought in former teammate Mikel Antia as his new assistant coach, replacing the popular Fabio Pecchia.

According to various media outlets, Newcastle will play hard ball with any potential suitors for their key players and Benitez’s recent comments have coincided with that.

The club are “confident” of making a breakthrough in the transfer market soon, as United plan to bring in a host of new players to tackle the gruelling slog that is the Championship.

Here, I analyse what Newcastle need to gain promotion and what the club must do to address these needs.