Life for fans of Newcastle United in recent years has been somewhat dreadful. The club have been taking major steps backwards in recent years, and for a long time last season it looked like they were spiralling out of the Premier League.
Mike Ashley is still in charge of the club despite being the most hated man in the North East, but thankfully the club removed John Carver as manager at the end of the season.
The man chosen to start the new era at St. James' Park and turn the club around is former England manager Steve McClaren - hardly one to fill those Geordie fans with confidence.
However, McClaren has pulled off an incredible coup as his first signing - midfielder Georgino Wijnaldum has signed from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on a five year contract for around £14.5million.
The Dutch international certainly has what it takes to lead Newcastle out of their slump and back to challenging in the top half of the Premier League table.
Perhaps the most shocking part of the deal is Mike Ashley's willingness to invest in new signings. It seems he is finally going to get behind one of his new managers and back him fully as the club looks to strengthen ahead of the new campaign.
The move will be a massive morale booster for all those associated with the club and will bring back the belief that Newcastle United can get start to look forwards.
The former PSV captain had a remarkable year last season as he finished as the Eredivisie Player of the Year ahead of top scorer and Memphis Depay.
Wijnaldum scored 14 goals and picked up three assists as he led PSV to the title, and at only 24-years-of-age, has a very bright future ahead of him.
He is the complete midfielder; quick, strong and creative, comfortable trying to intercept the ball or bombing forward to create attacks. His work ethic and determination are two of the player's best attributes.
The Netherlands international made his league debut for Feyenoord when he was just 16-years-old and has come on leaps and bounds since. In 286 career games he has scored 81 goals provided 34 assists from midfield.
His consistently impressive performances have led to him becoming an important part of the Dutch national squad, and he was part of the team that finished third at the 2014 World Cup.
The player should fit perfectly into the Magpies midfield alongside Jack Colback and Moussa Sissoko. The Frenchman Sissoko will be delighted with the arrival of Wijnaldum to ease the pressure on him, with someone else there to help carry the team.
There is little doubt that Wijnaldum would look at home at most of the top teams in Europe, which makes the fact he has joined Newcastle a real surprise.
Newcastle are still a number of players away from the squad they need in order to complete their squad, but it is a major step in the right direction and the good times are not too far away.
[ad_pod id='ricco' align='center']