NEWCASTLE: It has been less than a week since Newcastle United’s two-decade wait to qualify for the Champions League was rubber-stamped, but Eddie Howe’s eyes are already turning to next season.
The head coach, renowned for his incredible work ethic and drive, is not about to rest on his laurels just because Newcastle have muscled their way into Europe’s elite, way ahead of the ownership group’s schedule.
Instead, he is urging those at the top — primarily majority shareholders, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia — that while getting to the top might have been relatively inexpensive, the next step definitely won’t be.
He said: “Unfortunately players don’t come cheap, especially good players.
“Yes, we are going to have to spend a certain amount of money. How much that is I don’t know. I still don’t know what my budget is at this moment in time, but there will have to be some expenditure. It will have to be controlled. It will have to be under FFP restrictions, which we have worked under and will continue to work under. They are definitely impacting us and what we will be able to do.
“We’re planning to sit down in the next couple of days and go through things now it’s been finalized. We’ll see how that goes.
“Going into last summer, I had a vision and the reality was different at the end, but I was really pleased at the end when the window shut. I was like, ‘We have done some really good work here.’ That’s going to need to be repeated. This will be our hardest window to date. In my mind, there is no doubt about that because the pool of players we have to select from is very small.”
Given the level much of the current Newcastle squad has operated at in the past, there is a distinct lack of Champions League experience in the pack. Howe does not necessarily think that is something that needs to be addressed.
“Ideally, you would like experience of everything, but there is no player that ticks every box,” he said.
“I’m always a little bit torn on experience. You don’t have to have played in a competition to be able to play in a competition. We will look at the strength of the player first. If they have the experience of certain things, even better.
“We have challenges ahead; it’s not as easy as everyone thinks it is to navigate the transfer market. There is always a bump in the road you’ve got to navigate yourself around, so it’s not going to be a slam dunk.”
Since PIF bought an 80 percent stake in Newcastle, talk has always been of “marquee” signings. Evidence in the past three transfer windows proves the Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi approach is not one they are keen to take, not least on Tyneside, anyway.
Sunday’s opponents Chelsea could easily be accused of going down that road, having spent a remarkable $750 million since US investor Todd Boehly walked through the door.
On superstar signing speculation, Howe said: “There would be players we’d love to bring in that would be classified in that bracket,
I’m sure.
“For me, it’s more about the role they can fulfil in the team, whether that’s viewed positively or as a marquee signing, then great.
I’m not in my mind thinking: ‘We have to have one of those players that ticks that box for the supporters.’ As much as I’d love to do that, it’s about finding the right player in the right position who I think makes us better.”
