Despite numerous poor results so far this campaign, Newcastle United have come a long way in a short space of time under Eddie Howe and the ownership of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The club have failed to hit the heights they achieved last season, with the Toon reaching the final of the Carabao Cup and qualifying for the Champions League group stages for the first time in 20 years.
However, in this campaign, the Magpies find themselves occupying tenth place in the Premier League, 15 points off the Champions League spots with just ten games remaining.
Multiple players have been the victims of the club's recent success, with the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Chris Wood both left to join Nottingham Forest in 2022 after dropping down the pecking order at St James' Park.
However, one player who left the club before the PIF takeover is now excelling on the continental stage, notably in the Europa League.
Chancel Mbemba's stats at Newcastle United
Newcastle signed central defender Chancel Mbemba for a fee in the region of £8.5m back in the summer of 2015, with the former Anderlecht man arriving on Tyneside with a lot of promise.
He joined the club as a 20-year-old, with Mbemba needing time to settle into life in England before developing and fulfilling his potential in the Premier League.
However, he slotted straight into the Magpies' first team, featuring 33 times in England's top flight during the 2015/16 campaign, where the Magpies suffered relegation back to the Championship.
He was a squad player during the promotion-winning season of 2016/17, with Mbemba only making 12 appearances in the Championship as he rapidly fell down the pecking order under Rafa Benitez.
The DR Congo international once again struggled for game time back in the Premier League, featuring for just 673 minutes in his final campaign at St James' Park.
2015/16
33
2,924
2016/17
12
1,075
2017/18
9
673
After his lack of minutes during the 2017/18 campaign, he subsequently left the club to join Portuguese side Porto for a reported £7m, ending his three-year stint on Tyneside.
Chancel Mbemba's stats this campaign
Eight years on from his departure from Newcastle, 29-year-old Mbemba now plays for Marseille in Ligue 1, with the former Magpie having a storming season both in the league and in the Europa League.
He's made 29 appearances this campaign, including nine in the Europa League, with Mbemba scoring three times – a goal on average every three games. Such form has seen his transfer value rise to £17m, £10m more than when he departed, according to CIES Football Observatory. To put that into context, it's a higher value than the likes of Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes and Fabian Schar.
When delving into his stats this campaign, it's clear to see where the defender excels. Over the last 12 months, he's averaged 5.4 progressive passes per game, with a pass completion rate of 86%.
The "incredible" defender, as dubbed by DAZN journalist Rob Pratley, is very comfortable with the ball at his feet, but he also impresses defensively, with Mbemba making 3.9 clearances per game and making 1.4 tackles per 90 – tallies which are both higher than current Magpies defender Schar who averages 3.7 and 1.2 respectively.
Mbemba departed Newcastle as a 23-year-old, clearly not the finished article but with the potential to grow into a solid centre-back.
However, in 2024, he's established himself as a brilliant ball-playing defender with the Magpies potentially regretting his departure from the club.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.