As the fifth anniversary of Newcastle's takeover approaches, BBC Sport assesses whether the project to be "the best" is still on track.

The Reuben family and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) were part of a consortium that took over Newcastle United in October 2021 That is how long it took for Manchester City to win their first Premier League title following the club's takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008. Memories of such a relatively swift transformation were still fresh in the minds of top-flight executives after Newcastle United's Saudi-led buyout in 2021. "There was quite a lot of fear in the other clubs because they thought it was going to be another Manchester City," a source said. Newcastle may have gone on to end a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy by lifting the EFL Cup in 2025. But financial regulations have changed dramatically since Manchester City first set out to disrupt the established order, as football finance expert Kieran Maguire succinctly explained. "The challenge for Newcastle United is in the era of PSR (profit and sustainability rules) and now SCR (squad-cost ratio), it is very much geared towards preserving the status quo," he said. And the status quo is certainly not being preserved at the club itself, with manager Eddie Howe set to leave with immediate effect.