Speculation about the future of Newcastle United has been rife since the suspension of football, with the club continuing ownership talks with a Saudi-led consortium.
While the move appears to have been put on ice in recent weeks, rumours are still circulating about a number of players that the Magpies could be targeting.
Any changes will of course have to wait until the summer and will depend on the deal going through, meaning the focus returns to their current progress.
Steve Bruce has done well in his first season at the club, keeping the squad clear of relegation for much of the season.
With an eight-point buffer to the bottom three and just nine fixtures to complete, Bruce’s side can afford to look up towards mid-table and have just a four-point gap to 10th position.
Here, with the season about to restart, we look back on the season so far and highlight six stats that you may have forgotten…
Lack of firepower
While the team have been able to stay clear of the bottom three for much of the season, they have not exactly been prolific in front of goal.
The signing of Joelinton has not quite worked out, with the Brazilian managing just one goal so far this season, while the loss of Ayoze Perez has proved damaging.
As a result, the Magpies have scored just 25 goals from their 29 fixtures, keeping them level at the bottom of scoring charts with Norwich City.
Who needs possession?
As well as lacking penetration in front of goal, Newcastle have had the least possession on average in the league so far this season.
Per game, Bruce’s side average 40.8% possession and lag behind the 19th-ranked side Burnley, who have had 43.1% per match.
Set-piece threat
With 12 set-piece goals so far this season, only Bournemouth have been more dangerous than the Magpies from set-pieces.
Defenders Fabian Schar, Federico Fernandez, Ciaran Clark, Florian Lejeune, Jetro Willems, DeAndre Yedlin and Jamaal Lascelles have all scored in the Premier League so far this term, which has helped make up for the lack of goals from forwards Joelinton and Andy Carroll.
Defensively solid
Despite struggling at the attacking end of the pitch, Bruce has got Newcastle well organised as a defensive unit.
With 41 goals conceded from just 29 matches, the Magpies have conceded just two goals more than fourth-placed Chelsea.
Things have also improved since the start of 2020, with Newcastle conceding just eight in their last eight Premier League matches.
No discipline
Newcastle may rank 12th in terms of yellow cards so far this season, but they rank joint first in terms of red cards received with three.
Valentin Lazaro was the last person to see red in their loss to Crystal Palace in February, while Sean Longstaff and Isaac Hayden have also been dismissed.
The Saint-Maximin effect
Following his summer move to the North East, Allan Saint-Maximin has been a real game-changer.
With 4.4 completed dribbles per match, the Frenchman ranks third in the entire league behind just Adama Traore and Wilfried Zaha.
He is also the clear leader in the Newcastle squad ahead of second-placed Miguel Almiron who averages 1.5 per match.