As Newcastle United supporters welcome the club's new owners to St James' Park, few will look back on the Mike Ashley with any fondess.
From their point of view, the overriding theme of his ownership over the last 14 years has been a lack of investment and a lack of interest in affairs both on and off the pitch.
The most recent summer transfer window epitomised his reign as the club’s owner as, despite several outgoings, Joe Willock was the only incoming player.
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While that deal cost a considerable £25m, fans questioned where the rest of the money received from participating in the Premier League was being spent.
That being said, during the last decade and a half, there have been some significant arrivals at St James’ Park with varying degrees of success.
We have taken a look at the biggest signings of the Ashley era.
Joelinton - £40m
There is still time for Joelinton to succeed at Newcastle but his first couple of seasons haven’t given him much more room for error.
Eyebrows were raised at the record transfer fee spent to bring him from Hoffenheim at the age of just 22 and the scepticism has proved to be justified with the Brazil scoring six goals in 76 Premier League matches.
The only defence for him is that he has largely been played out of position during his time in the North East and when he has played off the left-hand side this season, his performances have improved massively.
Joe Willock - £25m
This is a signing that will hopefully signal what is to come over the next few years for Magpies fans.
Willock was signed from Arsenal after the excellent form he showed whilst on loan last season where he scored eight goals in 14 games from midfield.
However, he is yet to find the back of the net this term and picked up an injury in his last appearance as he had to be substituted in the first half in the defeat against Wolves.
Miguel Almirón - £21m
This was a signing met with plenty of excitement as Miguel Almirón arrived from the US for a significant fee after winning the MLS Cup with Atlanta United.
He has shown glimpses of quality in the North East and continues to play regularly but he has often frustrated supporters with a lack of consistency.
The Paraguay international’s slight frame also leads to plenty of claims that he isn’t strong enough to compete in the Premier League.
Callum Wilson - £20m
The only risk when signing Callum Wilson from Bournemouth was his sketchy injury record and that has proved to be the only thing that has got in the way of his progress at Newcastle.
The 29-year-old will score goals whoever he plays for and he showed that last term as he netted 12 goals in his 26 league games. However, as expected by many, it is extremely rare that he has been able to play five or six matches in a row because of recurring hamstring and knee problems.
If he is able to get a solid run in the team over the next couple of seasons then he will key to any success that the Magpies enjoy.
Allan Saint-Maximin - £16.5m
Since joining just over two years ago, Allan Saint-Maximin has become a real fans’ favourite at St James’ Park and he has been the stand-out player so far this season.
The Frenchman has contributed to more than half of his side’s eight goals this term with two goals and three assists in seven matches.
Now the takeover is completed, he is likely to be one of the iconic faces of the club over the coming seasons with incoming managers, coaches and executives surely wanting to build successful teams around him.
Florian Thauvin - £15m
The less said about the signing of Florian Thauvin, the better. He arrived on Tyneside as a highly-fancied young midfielder but he was never able to fulfil his potential for the Magpies.
Halfway through his first season, he returned to Marseille on loan before he secured a permanent return after making just 16 appearances in a two-year stay.
The France international was part of the squad that won the 2018 World Cup following a successful return to Ligue 1 but, despite being linked with some high-profile moves, he signed for Mexican side Tigres in the summer.
Jamal Lewis - £15m
After Norwich were relegated back to the Championship, Jamal Lewis arrived in Newcastle last year but has not been able to live up to the hype that surrounded his signing.
He made 24 Premier League appearances last term but has hardly had a look in this season with a six-minute cameo against Manchester United providing his only league involvement.
The fact that Steve Bruce has been playing Matt Ritchie at left-wing back sums up how he feels about Lewis who has played more times for Northern Ireland this season than he has for the Magpies.
Georginio Wijnaldum - £14.4m
Despite only playing for Newcastle for less than a year, Georginio Wijnaldum remains something of a cult hero at St James’ Park following his performances in the infamous 2015/16 campaign.
He was by far the best player in the side that were relegated from the top flight and understandably left for Liverpool at the end of the season for £25m.
With 11 goals and five assists in the league, it was one of the best individual campaigns in the club’s recent history. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to keep Toon in the Premier League.
Aleksandar Mitrović - £13m
One of the players who joined Newcastle in the same transfer window as Wijnaldum was Aleksandar Mitrović who remains one of the most frustrating signings in the Ashley era.
There is no doubt that the Serbian is a quality goalscorer but after scoring 11 times in his debut campaign, he was never able to show it thereafter in the North East.
He subsequently joined Fulham where he has scored 63 goals in 142 games but has earned the reputation as a brilliant Championship player who cannot quite make the step up.
The 27-year-old has already registered 10 goals and three assists in the second tier this season but only managed three of each in the Premier League last term.
