‘To be clear’ - Newcastle United officially respond to questions on Eddie Howe’s future
Darren Eales has hailed Eddie Howe as a “great coach” who understands Newcastle United’s unique PSR situation.
It is hard to think of a club in English football that has been as frustrated by financial regulations as the Magpies. While Everton and Nottingham suffered points deductions, Newcastle - despite boasting owners worth £700billion - almost suffered the same fate.
A frantic scramble resulted in Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh being sold against the club’s wishes to avoid breaching the three-year limit. No longer can a rich owner - like Manchester City and Chelsea of yesterday - bulldoze their way into the Premier League and bankroll a revolution.
Toon supporters have felt hard done by as PIF investment appeared to change Newcastle’s fortunes forever. While their fortunes have improved, PSR has prevented the Magpies from splashing the cash - with no first-team signings for three transfer windows.
Speaking to reporters, Newcastle CEO Eales has hailed Howe for working under a tight financial situation. A vocal minority of supporters called for change when results went against the Magpies earlier this season.
“Eddie is a wonderful manager, you only need to look at what we have done, taking over the club when we were in the relegation zone and I think what’s great about Eddie is he’s super collaborative,” Eales said. “To be clear, like the whole way through, Eddie understands and knows the financial parameters we’ve got.
“I think Eddie is unique as a manager. He appreciates and understands we have got this PSR cap so he knows the club and the ownership are 100 per cent behind providing the maximum support that we can within the rules.
“We are all working in that PSR headroom so that is the reality. As we approach each window. Every decision has a knock-on effect and that is the reality. Think about it really as a salary cap. Literally every decision you make has a ramification and that is where Eddie is great because it’s collaborative.
“If we choose to renew contracts of players and keep key players here, that means there is going to be an impact in terms of what you have available elsewhere but Eddie knows that and understands it. From our perspective, we are obviously super pleased we have got Eddie as our coach. We feel really good. We look forward with excitement.”
Eales has no doubts about Howe being the perfect man to help Newcastle’s squad - and the club - grow over the long term. He added: “The reality is we’ve got a great coach, we have amazing players in our squad, we are growing our revenues and we have an ownership that is fully committed to the long term so the future is bright.
“It’s just the nature of football that we have the ups and downs. We would all want a stronger squad. Everybody would want more players. Everyone would want no injuries but we have to deal with the realities and that’s why I gave Eddie great credit because he understands that because he is part of the process.
“He does a really good job of managing that as part of being the head coach of Newcastle United. We are delighted he is with us and we hope he is going to be with us for a very long time.”