Newcastle United are reaping the rewards of an affluent club takeover in 2021, combining the cogs to now boast a machine capable of competing for silverware across multiple fronts.

Manager Eddie Howe masterminded an ascent to the Champions League with a fourth-placed Premier League finish last term, with his – and technical director Dan Ashworth's – work on the transfer front paying dividends.

It's eradicated the malaise of the past decade or so, with Newcastle falling prey to the jaws of relegation twice in 2009, albeit gleaning gold in the Championship upon both sojourns

Simply, it's all going right after everything went wrong, and this is a testament to the comprehensive burgeon across St. James' Park; from the pitch to the boardroom to the kitchens, this is an outfit on the up.

Having last played in the Champions League in 2003/04, it's been a long, arduous wait to restore the club to its full vigour, but it all could have been so different, had the Magpies completed a shrewd swoop for a now imperious Premier League star.

Indeed, the Magpies were reportedly a whisker away from signing Egypt phenomenon Mohamed Salah in 2011, and by the player's own admission, it would have been a "dream" to join the Tyneside club.

Did Mohamed Salah nearly sign for Newcastle?

According to Salah – as relayed by Ahram Online in 2011 – Newcastle were interested in completing a transfer while the youngster plied his trade in his Egyptian homeland, with Al Mokawloon, but abandoned their pursuit for the unknown commodity, allowing Swiss side Basel to secure his services in 2012.

At the time, according to Football Transfers, Salah was worth around the £2m mark, although reports in Egypt, via the Chronicle, suggested a move broke down because Newcastle refused to pay an initial £500k loan fee.

It was a time of resurgence at St. James' Park, with Newcastle enjoying considerable success under the stewardship of Alan Pardew and barrelling into Europe with a fifth-placed finish, melding an all-timer partnership in Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse to great effect.

Salah, who was 19-years-old when he penned his thoughts on Newcastle's interest, would have been an up-and-comer, an exciting prospect utilised sparingly, rather than an unflappable starter on the right wing.

He said: “Newcastle will soon make an official offer to sign me for one season. I don’t think Contractors will refuse to let me play in the English Premier League.

“It’s a dream for any player to play in one of the strongest league competitions in the world.”

Ultimately, Salah made his rise elsewhere, with Newcastle perhaps opting to withdraw their offer due to the forward's poor finishing – funny that, eh?

How many goals has Mohamed Salah scored?

If Salah's finishing was once a problem, now it is the key to unlock any door. Once or twice, when the stars align, a comet will streak across the sky, leaving a trail of coruscating light, shining brighter than most and leaving onlookers gaping in awe.

Perhaps a digressive analogy, but Salah has indeed blitzed into prominence after a slow start to his career, glimmering as one of the eminent prodigies of his generation.

Leaving his homeland over a decade ago to commence his European career within rustic Basel, enveloped by vertiginous mountains, Salah started to demonstrate his budding qualities, posting 20 goals and supplying 17 assists across 79 matches before Chelsea came calling.

The Stamford Bridge side had warded off rival attention from Liverpool (they come in later) to sign Salah for an initial £12m, but his time in London was not as successful as hoped, bagging just two strikes across 19 outings; electric, incisive, hungry – the likes of Willian and Eden Hazard hindered the winger from getting a sniff.

Now, the 89-cap Egypt star – also his nation's record scorer (49) – is among the standout strikers of his generation, hailed as "one of the greatest of all time" by pundit Michael Owen.

Salah had spent the 2014-15 term on loan with fellow Serie A side Fiorentina – netting six times from 16 outings – before moving to Roma in a permanent deal in 2016 after spending the prior campaign on loan, where he would plunder 34 goals from 83 matches, starting to find his shooting boots with regularity.

Then came that fateful day, Liverpool signed Salah for £34m to hand him another shot at Premier League action after his first, inauspicious spell, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The £350k-per-week sensation is comfortably among the greatest players in Liverpool's history, and is arguably the greatest right winger of all-time in the Premier League, though that, admittedly, is subjective.

Regardless, he boasts 188 goals and 81 assists from just 309 outings for Jurgen Klopp's side, has won the whole gamut of silverware at Anfield (aside from the Europa League, which could tangibly be secured this year), wreaking havoc as the lynchpin of his outfit's attack.

How much is Mohamed Salah worth now?

As per FBref, the 31-year-old ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 9% for assists and the top 1% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, very much a menace in the final third.

He has been dubbed "world-class" by the likes of pundit and colour commentator Gary Neville, has twice been named African Footballer of the Year and has won the FIFA Puskas award.

The superlatives, perhaps, have run out. Nonchalant gait, tucked in on the wing, drop of the shoulder, on the swivel – and he's away, defenders eating dust.

So often has the 5 foot 8 speedster bested his man with his agility, elegance and deceptive strength; marrying that with his first-rate finishing, it's a recipe for disaster for defences across Europe.

The fact that Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad were desperate to sign him this summer, offering Liverpool £150m and hinting at an improved offer of £215m in the closing days of the transfer window, demonstrates just how mighty a player he has become.

The riches of the Saudi Pro League have identified the attacker to headline their bumper roster of talent, raiding European outfits for their most prominent talents to craft the framework of a budding new super league.

To think that Newcastle were really in with a shot of signing the Premier League "legend" – as has been said by reporter DaveOCKOP – in his embryonic stage is remarkable, it was tantalisingly close.

Alas, it didn't happen, and while Newcastle are now destined for a date with Champions League football, acquiring Salah's skill set way back when could have resulted in a sustained place in continental competition under Pardew, perhaps rewriting the club's poignant story over the past ten years. He really is the one that got away.