Much has been made of Newcastle United's lack of ambition in the transfer market in recent years, but a combination of Rafael Benitez and Steve Bruce has helped established the Magpies as a solid Premier League outfit.
With nine games of the season remaining, Newcastle sit eight points above the relegation zone, a scenario which Bruce would have certainty taken when being handed the reins last summer.
However, his signings, as well as the additions made by Benitez before him, have provided the club's supporters with as much frustration as they have joy.
Based on their respective form over the course of the season, Sports Mole takes a look at who are regarded as Newcastle's most valuable players.
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Despite a return of just two goals and one assist from 18 outings in the Premier League, Allan Saint-Maximin is currently valued at £22.5m, the joint-highest in the squad. However, while the Frenchman possesses the potential to improve on his current statistics, the fact that the 23-year-old sits at the top of the pile is more down to the poor form of Joelinton. The Brazilian may rank as the same as another of last summer's high-profile additions, but the Brazilian's current value is almost half of what Newcastle shelled out for his signature.
Although he was linked with a big-money switch to Manchester United in 2019, Sean Longstaff is now only rated at £19.8m having failed to build on his impressive form under Benitez. Injuries and a lack of consistency have left the academy graduate with just 13 starts in the top flight this season, with his only goal coming in the FA Cup.
Somewhat surprisingly, Miguel Almiron is ranked lower than the midfielder after growing into his role as cult hero. Although just two goals and one assist have come in the Premier League, the Paraguayan has four strikes from five outings in the FA Cup, a return which has helped the Magpies progress through to the quarter-finals. While there is little doubt that the 26-year-old can improve, the fact that he has been deployed in a variety of positions to suit Bruce's style of play should be taken into account when casting judgement over his performances and value of £18m.
Next down the list comes two of Bruce's January loan signings in Danny Rose and Valentino Lazaro. The pair, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan respectively, have not been provided with much chance to impress due to the coronavirus pandemic, but reports have suggested that Newcastle will push to sign the former - also rated at £18m - when the next transfer window opens in the future.
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Despite both being priced at £16.2m, there is an argument that Jamaal Lascelles and Jonjo Shelvey should be valued higher than some of the names above them. Lascelles, the club captain, is a certain starter in the centre of the defence, while Shelvey has five goals to his name from 17 Premier League outings this season, including important strikes against Manchester City, Southampton and Sheffield United respectively.
Dwight Gayle is surprisingly valued at £10.8m, perhaps an indication of what Championship clubs would have to pay if they wanted to hand the forward a new lease of life ahead of the next campaign. The 29-year-old has not scored in 379 minutes of top-flight football this season, and Bruce will view the player as someone who can be sold to raise transfer funds.
First-choice goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has only just penned a new long-term deal at St James' Park, but that has not helped the Slovakia international improve his value above £6.3m. The stopper has undermined some impressive performances with several individual mistakes, ones which have cost Newcastle a number of points over the course of the season.
Although only on a pay-as-you-play deal with Newcastle, Andy Carroll comes in at £3.6m. The 31-year-old may have failed to score this season, but the target man has three assists to his name from four starts and nine substitute outings.
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Full list:
Allan Saint-Maximin £22.5m
Joelinton £22.5m
Sean Longstaff £19.8m
Danny Rose £18m
Miguel Almiron £18m
Valentino Lazaro £17.1m
Jonjo Shelvey £16.2m
Jamaal Lascelles £16.2m
Fabian Schar £14.4m
Matt Ritchie £10.8m
Dwight Gayle £10.8m
Isaac Hayden £9m
DeAndre Yedlin £7.2m
Martin Dubravka £6.3m
Federico Fernandez £6.3m
Jetro Willems £6.3m
Paul Dummett £6.3m
Yoshinoro Muto £6.3m
Ciaran Clark £5.4m
Florian Lejeune £5.4m
Christian Atsu £5.4m
Javier Manquillo £4.5m
Emil Krafth £4.5m
Nabil Bentaleb £4.5m
Andy Carroll £3.6m
Matthew Longstaff £3.6m
Karl Darlow £2.7m
Jack Colback £1.8m
Rob Elliot £675,000
Jamie Sterry £68,000
Sports Mole has used figures from Transfermarkt for the purposes of this article.
Darren Plant
