Kieran Trippier decision defended after Newcastle United sanction £68m double deal

Eddie Howe has defended Newcastle United’s decision not to sell Kieran Trippier last January, despite their troubles with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Newcastle rejected a £13million bid from German giants Bayern Munich, a decision that was largely viewed as the correct one at the time. However, it was later placed under the microscope when, five months later, the Magpies were forced to offload young duo Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh for a combined £68m to Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively, in order to comply with PSR and avoid a points deduction.

Speculation surrounding Trippier’s future continued into the summer and January with Everton and various clubs overseas showing interest. However, Howe has fought to keep the right-back with further funds raised via the sales of Miguel Almiron and Lloyd Kelly at the beginning of the year.

Why Newcastle United didn’t sell Kieran Trippier

With Trippier 34 years old and out of contract next summer, some have questioned why Newcastle didn’t cash in.

"I don't think there was any big PSR benefit to selling Kieran and I think that was factored into a lot of our decision making,” Howe responded. “From a football perspective, there was no way we wanted to lose him. He was too important, he remains too important. On various levels. We need his winning mentality, his experience, his quality."

Trippier remains a part of Newcastle’s player leadership group but lost his captaincy to Bruno Guimaraes at the beginning of the season, which coincided with him dropping behind Tino Livramento in the right-back pecking order.

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There have been times when Howe has turned to Trippier this season, however this is the first time he has started four consecutive matches. With Lewis Hall ruled out for the remainder of the campaign due to a foot problem, Livramento has moved over to left-back and Trippier has come in at right-back.

Kieran Trippier back to his best in recent matches

And the former Atletico Madrid man has been hailed for his performances, particularly against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final as Newcastle ended their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy.

"Kieran handled himself impeccably,” Howe said. “He trained really well, supported the players and you can see that shouting on the touchline is genuine. He want to help people, he wants to help the team to win. He's very selfless.

“I think Kieran has been excellent the last three games. And again, if you look at his direct opponents, I think he's done a really good job on them. I think he's shown that he can still defend, which as a defender, the first port of call is ‘can you defend well enough?’ And the resounding answer to that has been yes.

“His ability on the ball is unquestioned and we need to work better as a team to try and get him in the final third a little bit more because he's attacking play and his crossing is second to none as well. I'm really, really pleased with Kieran. It's been a very good return to the team."

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