Newcastle United are riding high under Eddie Howe at present, with the Englishman having steered the club into the mix for Champions League qualification following what has been a truly remarkable campaign thus far for the Magpies.
After years of fearing for their safety at the foot of the table, the Tynesiders are now beginning to enjoy what looks set to be a brighter future under the PIF regime, with the ambitious ownership no doubt harbouring hopes of turning the club into title contenders in the years to come.
For all the positivity surrounding St James' Park, Howe and co will no doubt be aware that further quality will be needed if the club are to kick on moving forward, with the midfield ranks seemingly one area in which the club do look rather light.
The upcoming summer window should seemingly see the northeast side address that issue, although the top-four hopefuls no doubt wish they had a figure of the past to call upon to bolster their ranks, with it a mouthwatering prospect to imagine the impact that Gini Wijnaldum could have made in this current Newcastle side, having been a shining light during a rather drab time at the club back in the 2015/16 season.
How good was Wijnaldum at Newcastle?
Not to suggest that sporting director Dan Ashworth should necessarily go out and buy the present-day version of the dynamic Dutchman, yet one can only imagine just how crucial the former PSV Eindhoven star could have been had he been able to complement the current crop of players under Howe's watch.
Now 32, the experienced ace was originally brought to England by Steve McClaren back in 2015, with the one-time FC Twente boss utilising his Eredivisie connections to bring Wijnaldum to the club on a £14.5m deal.
Hailed by McClaren as a real "leader" and a "statement" signing for the Magpies upon his capture, the Rotterdam native would instantly mark himself as something of a cult figure in his new home, having been the real star attraction in an otherwise forgettable season at St James' Park.
Despite the historic club ultimately suffering relegation at the end of that 2015/16 campaign – the playmaker's solitary season in the black and white jersey – Wijnaldum made a truly strong impression, contributing a stunning haul of 11 goals and five assists in 38 Premier League appearances.
That eye-catching tally is far superior to what the current midfield group have been able to manage, with Bruno Guimaraes leading the way with just three goals and three assists in the league, while Joelinton has just two goals and only two assists.
The latter man currently operates in a more advanced midfield berth – as Wijnaldum did during his time at the club – although is far from a truly creative presence, as he has averaged just 0.9 key passes per game this season, while the Netherlands international averaged 1.3 for that same metric in 2015/16.
Equally, while Joelinton has won just 46% of his ground duels this season despite his physical stature, Wijnaldum won 51% of his ground duels during his solitary season at the club, proving himself an effective, ball-playing winning asset, as well as delivering the goods in the final third.
That all-round quality would surely have made the former Feyenoord ace a shoo-in to be a central part of Howe's side in the present day, with the Magpies likely ruing that their time with the 5 foot 9 menace was so brief, as he went on to enjoy a glittering, trophy-laden spell at Liverpool.