What Newcastle United Need to do Next Following Promotion to the Premier League

Newcastle United are back where they belong in the Premier League, but gaining promotion to the Premiership was the easy part. The difficult bit will be building a team capable of being competitive there.

Since Newcastle got relegated they have lost the likes of Michael Owen, Obefemi Martins, Damien Duff, Sebastian Bassong, and, immediately prior to relegation, Shay Given.

If Newcastle do not wish to become a "yo-yo" team like West Brom, continually bouncing between the top two divisions, they urgently need to add some quality to their side.

These are the areas that will need addressing.

Defense

Fabricio Colloccini and Steven Taylor have always been good players. Manager Chris Hughton will be hoping that with a solid season in the Championship under their belts, their partnership will look stronger in next season's premiership—more strength in depth will be needed should one of these two become injured.

Jose Enrique came to Newcastle with a big reputation and has actually started to live up to it in the Championship.

Danny Simpson, although deemed not good enough for Man United, is a solid if not spectacular player, as is Ryan Taylor.

A bit more quality at right back would not do any harm, but it's not an urgent requirement.

Midfield

I believe that Newcastle's existing midfield is severely lacking in creativity. All-conquering in the Championship, its players will struggle to unlock Premiership defences.

Wayne Routledge is, on paper at least, not a Premiership player, and Jonas Gutierrez is strong and powerful, but offers almost zero goal-scoring threat.

Attacking midfielder Kevin Nolan has enjoyed a superb season and deserves another shot at the Premiership.

Newcastle have a number of combative midfield holding men, but Joey Barton, Alan Smith, and Nicky Butt all appear past their prime and will struggle to impose themselves on Premiership matches.

Guthrie is good, but possibly not good enough, and Geremi is ripe for retirement.

Newcastle urgently need midfield reinforcements with a playmaker top of the list. Elano would be an interesting candidate although Man City fans will remember him with mixed feelings. Should Hull be relegated, as is appearing increasingly likely, Jimmy Bullard may be a more realistic contender.

Were Arsene Wenger willing to do without the services of Jack Wilshere for a season, Newcastle could do far worse than procure the services of the teenager, at least temporarily.

They will need to get rid of some of the dead wood in the existing midfield first, but Matthieu Flamini would be a perfect signing. Although, persuading him to swap the San Siro for St. James's could prove problematic.

Lee Cattermole would also fit the bill, but his manager is highly unlikely to allow him to move to Newcastle.

Attack

Newcastle's strikers have filled their boots in the Championship with Shola Ameobi, Andy Carroll, and Peter Lovenkrands all reaching double figures. Carroll is a real prospect and Newcastle will have high hopes that he can replicate his recent form in the league's top tier.

Newcastle will still need to sign at least one more striker to supplement these three.

Lovenkrands is coming towards the end of his career and should be regarded as no more than a useful squad player.

Carroll and Ameobi will both be competing for the same spot as the team's target man, but will need some genuine pace to play alongside as these two in tandem will not strike fear into the hearts of experienced Premiership defences.

Leon Best, who signed in January, is still awaiting his first Newcastle goal and is also unlikely to set the Premiership alight.

Robbie Keane would be perfect, but he is likely to be well out of Newcastle's financial reach, as is Darren Bent. A more probable arrival is Frederic Piquionne, who has scored 10 Premiership goals for Portsmouth this season and is very much on the market.

Newcastle may have to look further afield and see what the European leagues have to offer by way of proven goalscorers. 

Amoebi and Carroll are both good players who lead the line well, but anything above 10 goals would be a satisfactory Premiership return for either man.

Newcastle need to find a player, or preferably two, capable of scoring 20 or more goals a season if they are to survive in an increasingly competitive Premier League.

Newcastle United are a side who deserve to be in the upper echelons of the Premier League because of what they bring to the table. Conventional wisdom dictates that the participation of the Burnleys, Barnsleys, and Watfords of this world make the Premiership a more interesting place.

It does not.

Newcastle-Man United is a massive game which would attract a crowd of at least 50,000 plus and at least another million TV viewers.

A match between Man United and any of these so called smaller teams would not have nearly the same appeal.

Upsets do happen, and Burnley pulled one off at home to Man United earlier this season, but most viewers are not going to tune into this type of match just on the off chance of an upset.

The Premier League needs Newcastle, and Newcastle needs the Premier League. If the club can bring in the necessary calibre of reinforcements over the summer then the symbiotic relationship between the two could go on to stand the test of time.