Yasir Al Rumayyan talks confirmed as Eddie Howe reveals why Newcastle United's win vs Spurs was 'massive'
Eddie Howe hopes Newcastle United’s win against Tottenham Hotspur will see the disappointment from the summer transfer window “disappear”.
Newcastle beat Tottenham 2-1 at St James’ Park with Harvey Barnes and Alexander Isak scoring either side of a Dan Burn own goal. It came less than 48 hours after the transfer window shut with fans frustrated by the lack of signings.
“Well it’s massive, isn’t it? You need to win at any stage but I think when there are difficult moments and this transfer window has been tough for us, I think that’s even more important as it enables you to see things clearly and move forward with positive momentum,” Howe said.
“Hopefully we can do that. It was a tough game but we found a way to grind out a win and hopefully that’s good signs for the rest of the day.”
Howe added: “We know most transfer windows are shut so it gives us some stability and a lot of the off-field talk will hopefully disappear, and we can focus on the pitch and the players that matter and we can try and get ourselves in a really good place.
“Hopefully this will give us confidence and ability to see ourselves as a very good team, one that can better and can improve as the season goes on. I still think we’re short fitness wise, I think that’s clear to see, but a lot of work to do in the international break for the players that stay.”
A PIF contingent of Yasir Al Rumayyan, Asma Rezeeq and Jacobo Solis were in attendance at St James’ Park and Howe hopes “catch up with them after this [game].” They were spotted heading to the dressing room after the game.
Howe added: “You need the players to believe in themselves and the changing room we have, I think they do but we’ve still got a number of players who are injured who can make a difference, and that is always a challenge.
“You can see today that was every player fit and available was on the bench, no one else. So it’s a really small squad but in some senses a small squad fosters team spirit and togetherness, and that’s what we’ll try to do.
“It [the togetherness] always drives me forward. When I come to work every day, you’re interacting with the staff and players which is an absolute privilege and a pleasure. I think we have a great team spirit, something we have to protect at all costs and in part that does go back to the transfer window because we’ve got to bring the right characters into the group.
“The characters we have brought in so far have helped us get where we are.”