Newcastle fans here in the Transfer Tavern are enjoying the dizzying heights of being in one the Champions League spots early on this season.

A supposed club in crisis following a far from happy transfer window, two defeats in their first two league matches and crashing out the EFL cup to Nottingham Forest looked like early worrying signs for the Tyneside club.

They pulled themselves together and strung a three-match unbeaten run with wins against West Ham, Swansea and Stoke to send them up in to fourth place.

While a loss down at Brighton slowed momentum down, the early signs certainly are promising, much to the delight of our resident Geordies.

Benitez and the Toon Army have quietly gone about their business post-transfer window and are showing signs of a team willing to fight for each other.

Yes, it’s early in the season and our Landlord is not expecting Newcastle to be fighting for a Champions League place come May but with the team playing like it is, some of our punters believe these three players are going to have to fight for their Newcastle careers and really make a difference if given the chance by Rafa Benitez.

Jonjo Shelvey

After his needless sending off in the opening game of the season, Shelvey was replaced by Mikel Merino in the squad. Since, Merino has proven instrumental in the Magpies; three-game unbeaten run and even impressed in the defeat to Huddersfield.

Shelvey has a fantastic range of passing but his lack of discipline is sometimes worrying. Merino has stepped in and taken his opportunity with both hands, so the England man now has his work cut out if he is to get back into the first-team fold.

Massadio Haidara

The French left-back has been plagued with injuries since joining the club four and half years ago. Playing a total of forty-eight times in that time, Newcastle fans would not be forgiven that they sometimes forget about him.

Spending large amounts of time in the physio room, Benitez has left him out in the cold but with an injury to current number one left-back Paul Dummett, Haidara has a chance to get back into the fold albeit if he can get himself match fit first.

Rolando Aarons

The former England under-20 international missed nearly all of last season through injury. He made his comeback in the three-two defeat to Nottingham Forest, scoring a goal in the process, though then went off injured.

He’ll be hoping that he can make more impactful performances like that in the coming months to make his way back into Benitez’s starting eleven.