Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has been impressive in his transfer dealings so far, and has managed to assemble a very capable side throughout the window so far.

By managing to get £25 million for the Liverpool bound Georginio Wijnaldum and shifting on Papiss Cisse to Chinese side Shandong Luneng , whilst also setting Daryl Janmaat on his way out of the club, Benitez has cleared out several of the big-money earners who were creating a toxic atmosphere around the club.

He also brought in Dwight Gayle from Crystal Palace, who has all the hallmarks of the perfect Championship striker, with similar attributes to Andre Gray, who fired Burnley to promotion, finishing as the league top scorer last season.

This is arguably the strongest squad the Championship has seen since Reading's 2005/06 side that finished on a record 106 points, and couple this with a poor Fulham side and you can envisage a huge scoreline on day one of the Championship season,

Here is the Newcastle line-up that could hammer Fulham on the first day of the season.....

 

GK - Karl Darlow

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The former Nottingham Forest shot-stopper was signed by Newcastle to play back-up to Tim Krul, but with the Dutchman seemingly on his way out of the club this summer, Darlow could finally get his shot in the first team.

He proved his ability as a Championship quality keeper during his time at Forest, and at just 25 years of age, he clearly has a lot of potential still to fill.

He will most likely start against Fulham on the opening day of the Championship season.

LB - Paul Dummett

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The 24-year-old full-back started his career at Newcastle, and was the only academy graduate to start Newcastle's last competitive game.

After making 66 appearances for the Toon army, Dummett has finally established himself as a first-team regular at Newcastle, and you would expect him to feature a lot next season.

He should be able to deal with the threat of Alexander Kacaniklic out wide for Fulham.

CB - Chancel Mbemba

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 The Democratic Republic of Congo international was highly disappointing at the back in his first season at St James' Park, and looked nervous in possession and shaky when put under pressure.

However, he looks to be a talented young player, and during his time at Belgian Pro League side Anderlecht, he established himself as a capable young defender.

His pace and strength will be ideally suited to the Championship.

CB - Jamaal Lascelles

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Lascelles proved himself as an outstanding young player during his time at Championship club Nottingham Forest, and when given an extended run in the first team towards the back end of last season, he showed himself to be an able centre back for even Premier League level.

This has left Newcastle fans wondering why he wasn't given a run in the side earlier, but he will certainly feature under Benitez this season.

RB - Jesus Gamez

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The Spaniard is an experienced head in what is now a youthful Newcastle side, and was signed by Rafa Benitez to plug the gap left by Daryl Janmaat's impending departure at right back.

He spent 9 years at Liga BBVA outfit Malaga, where he made 266 appearances, before getting a dream move to Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid side.

At 31 years of age, Gamez has undoubted pedigree and is an excellent option at right back for Benitez.

LM - Rolando Aarons

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The 20-year-old winger has impressed fans of the Tyneside club with some excellent performances in his 2 years at the club, and has even been capped 5 times by England's under-20 squad, for whom he has netted twice.

With Georginio Wijnaldum off to join Liverpool and Andros Townsend having already joined Crystal Palace, there will be more chances for Aarons to impress in the first team than ever before.

CM - Jack Colback

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Since joining Newcastle in 2014 in a shock move from fierce rivals Sunderland, Colback has provided a little bit of class in the Newcastle midfield.

With fans calling for an England cap at one point, the once-dubbed 'ginger Pirlo' has clear ability, and Newcastle fans will be hoping he can put in better performances this season coming than he did last season, where he was practically anonymous as the Magpies slumped to relegation.

CM - Jonjo Shelvey

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Shelvey established himself as a quality Premier League midfielder during his 3 year stint at Swansea City, so when he left the club in January this year to join Newcastle, who were stuck in a relegation battle, everyone was shocked.

His performances were sub-par for the Toon Army, and Rafa Benitez has reminded him of his responsibility to get the Magpies back up to the Premier League.

On his day, Shelvey is one of the best midfielders in this league.

RM - Matt Ritchie

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Ritchie's decision to leave Premier League outfit Bournemouth, where he was undoubtedly the star of the show, pulling the strings from the midfield, to join now-Championship side Newcastle United is a baffling one.

Newcastle fans however must be delighted that Benitez has brought in a player who tore up this division just 2 seasons ago.

He will be a tricky customer for the Fulham defenders for sure.

ST - Dwight Gayle

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Benitez splashed big bucks on the former Crystal Palace man to bring him to Tyneside as a replacement for China-bound Papiss Cisse, and Newcastle fans will be hoping that he can lead them to glory next season.

As mentioned earlier, this transfer is very similar to that of Andre Gray's move to Burnley last season, with both moving for large fees and both gifted with sublime pace and prowess.

Will Gayle be as successful as the former Brentford man though? That remains to be seen.

ST - Aleksandar Mitrovic

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The giant Serb was hardly prolific in his first season at St James' Park, bagging just 9 goals in 36 appearances, but 'Mitro' has developed into Newcastle fan's favourite during his maiden campaign.

Plagued with inconsistency, the 21-year-old former Partizan and Anderlecht hitman has undoubted talent, but will need to start scoring on a more regular basis if he is to help fire Newcastle to promotion.