‘We’ve got the makings of being one of the best teams in the world’

Christian Wade says Newcastle Red Bulls have all the makings of becoming one of the best teams after spending pre-season at their owners’ “James Bond-style” Athlete Performance Centre in Salzburg, Austria.

Wade, 35, admits that spending time at what Red Bull call their “talent factory” has given them insight into how the firm leaves no stone unturned to help their athletes reach the very top of their chosen sport.

He points out that, even though it’s a new-look Newcastle squad and they might not be as established as other teams in the league, everything is in place for them to succeed.

Wade believes the mental battle is a big part of winning the war, and they seem to think success is just around the corner for Newcastle Red Bulls, despite only winning four PREM games in three seasons.

“We had lots of fun over there. Lots of training and extra curriculum activities with Red Bull. We got to see their headquarters, which is something out of James Bond.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Northampton

11:45

25 Sep 26

Newcastle

All Stats and Data

“Obviously, Red Bull is a massive brand. Number one for marketing in the world. Leaders in kind of upskilling their employees and whatever teams they bring into the fold, like Formula One and football. et cetera, et cetera.

“So I think it’s definitely brought a lift in terms of understanding the Red Bull brand and understanding what they do with people that come under that Red Bull world. And I think that’s enough for us to begin to have success.

“It all starts with a mind. If you believe you can do something, if you believe you have the resources to support. Then it’s all about what you do now in terms of your process to get there.

“So I can’t really compare it to other clubs yet because they’re probably more established, but we’ve definitely got the makings of being one of the great teams, if not one of the best teams in the world.

“Obviously, we have the support of Red Bull, attracting players year on year and attracting members of staff, top people in the performance world. You had Jurgen Klopp, I think he was the Head of Global Soccer. So you got people like that who you can lean on for support.

“We have got new coaches, backroom staff, and there’s a whole new board that’s been brought into place. So you can see all the pieces are coming together. It always starts with the belief that you can be number one for whatever it is.

“Then you start making that infectious, and people start to perform in it, and before you know it, you’ve reached where you’re trying to get to,” said Wade.