Newcastle United have enjoyed a period of success under current boss Eddie Howe, with their achievements in recent time nothing short of remarkable after a turbulent few years which saw the club drop into the Championship.
Since Howe's appointment in 2021, he's dragged the Magpies away from potential relegation and transformed the side, resulting in a fourth-placed Premier League finish last season.
The club also reached the Carabao Cup final last season, with the Tynesiders falling at the final hurdle after a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Wembley.
The club's finish in the Premier League's top four allowed them to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years – unthinkable when Howe took over with the Magpies looking perilously close to relegation back to the second tier.
During this time period, the club has been backed heavily after the takeover by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) with players such as Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali joining for fees over £30m. However, the club may have missed a trick by selling a midfielder in 2018, with a former Magpie now worth over three times the price they sold him for.
Mikel Merino's stats at Newcastle United
Mikel Merino joined the Magpies back in 2017 for £7m from German side Borussia Dortmund – with the club having high hopes for the midfielder.
However, the deal for Merino at St James' Park was unsuccessful, with the Spaniard only spending one season in the North East – making 25 appearances in all competitions.
The midfielder only scored once for the Magpies, with his solitary goal coming in the 1-0 top-flight victory against Crystal Palace – a goal that would see the Magpies jump off the bottom of the table.
Merino subsequently left Newcastle, then managed by Rafa Benitez, in the summer of 2018, joining Real Sociedad in his homeland for a fee in the region of £10m – a deal that would become a potential bargain for the Spanish side.
Mikel Merino's stats since leaving Newcastle
Since leaving the Magpies in 2018, Merino has gone on to make a name for himself in Spain, with multiple sides around Europe having been interested in signing the now 27-year-old of late – as per reports back in 2022.
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Merino's excelled at Sociedad, making 230 appearances, scoring 24 times whilst assisting a further 30 for his teammates. The midfielder's transformation is remarkable, with fellow Sociedad player – and on-loan Arsenal man – Kieran Tierney branding the Spaniard as "world-class".
The former Magpie now has a market value of €40m (£34m), according to CIES Football Observatory, an increase of 240% compared to the fee that the club sold him for just under six years ago.
No Newcastle fan – nor likely Benitez – would've predicted Merino's rapid rise to becoming one of Europe's most underrated midfielders given his unsuccessful stint at St James' Park. However, given his success in Spain, questions could be asked as to why the club sold him so early on in his career at the club, with the midfielder needing time to adapt to the demands of the Premier League.
Had they kept hold of the 27-year-old, the Magpies' midfield would be up there with some of the best in England's top flight. Unfortunately for Newcastle, it's a case of one that got away – with the club pulling the trigger on his time at the club too early.