The Championship has been the host of some big football teams, but not many have come as big as Newcastle United.
The Magpies have spent 18 of the last 20 seasons in the Premier League, with the only exceptions being the 2009/10 and the 2016/17 seasons, where both were spent in the Championship.
Both campaigns were memorable for Newcastle, but 2016/17 was the more recent and one where Newcastle was able to still use their purse strings to have a very good squad for that level.
Before the campaign, the Magpies made many additions under manager Rafael Benitez, one of which may be forgotten, but they will be glad they got over the line with the addition of Daryl Murphy from Ipswich Town.
Newcastle United paid £3 million to sign Daryl Murphy in 2016
Darly Murphy spent the majority of his football career playing in the English Football League.
The Irishman started at Luton Town before going back to Ireland and then returning to England and signing for Sunderland.
The forward stayed with the Black Cats for five years, but spent a large part of it on loan at other clubs.
Murphy joined Celtic in 2010, and he spent three years with the Scottish side before he joined Ipswich on a free transfer.
It was with the Tractor Boys that the striker really impressed, as he became the club’s main outlet for goals and was essential to them reaching the Championship play-offs.
So, in 2016, when Newcastle were preparing for life in the Championship, they decided to add Murphy to their ranks, despite him being 33 years old.
Benitez’s side confirmed the signing towards the end of August, with it being announced that the deal would cost Newcastle £3 million, rising to £4 million if the club was promoted.
Murphy signed a two-year contract when he joined the club, and while he didn’t go on to fulfil it, it was a signing the Magpies will not regret.
Newcastle United will not regret the Daryl Murphy deal in 2016
As just mentioned, Darly Murphy didn’t end up staying with Newcastle United for very long; in fact, the forward only stayed at the club for the 2016/17 season.
Rafael Benitez was keen to make sure he had enough options in his squad, and adding Murphy was bringing proven Championship experience to his forward line.
So, with that season being successful for the club and them returning to the Premier League, the club obviously felt there was no need to keep hold of Murphy for any longer than that season.
That will have disappointed the Irishman, but he or the club will likely regret the transfer, as while he wasn’t as prolific as he was at Ipswich, he proved to be a worthy addition.
Murphy played 18 times for Newcastle in that single season, during which he scored six goals in all competitions.
15 of those appearances came in the second tier, and the forward scored five goals, which were very important in the club’s promotion.
Murphy started seven games, and, in that time, he was averaging a goal every 0.65 times per game, as per Fbref.com.
Furthermore, the striker did contribute an assist, with him averaging one 0.13 times per game he played.
Murphy took his chances well that season, as the striker only had eight shots on goal and five of them turned out to be goals. He averaged 1.04 shots per 90 minutes, and he picked up a goal 0.63 times per shot he took, per Fbref.com.
So, while the former Irish international didn’t play as much as he would have liked, he still contributed enormously, as he took his chances when on the pitch and was credited with some very important goals in that season for the Magpies.
Therefore, Newcastle will not regret paying the money they did for Murphy, as that £3 million helped them on their way to the Premier League and, in the end, brought them much more money into the club.
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