Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has spoken out about long-term target Hugo Ekitike following his move to PSG, stating there’s ‘no hard feelings’ after the club ‘worked hard’ to finalise a deal.
It’s no secret that the club were very keen on the 20-year-old following months of negotiations, but complications with his agent – and a reluctant to sign from the player’s end – saw us walk away from the deal last month.
PSG have since confirmed the signing of the young star and Howe has admitted that, despite ‘really liking’ him, ‘there is no guarantee you get your top targets.’
Speaking from our pre-season training camp out in Austria, here’s what Howe had to say:
“We really like Hugo as a player, there is no denying that. I won’t hide that fact.
“We tried to sign him in January and again this summer, but it wasn’t to be.
“He has decided to go to PSG, and there are no hard feelings towards the lad. We wish him well.
“We thought he was a real talent and he could have done a really good job for us. But that’s football, that’s the transfer window.
“They are the teams we are competing against. There is no guarantee you will get your top targets, because if you believe they’re that good then so do other clubs.”
Newcastle have not had much luck elsewhere following the collapse of this deal, with attempts to sign both Alexander Isak and Moussa Diaby both proving to be too expensive.
Now, it’s unclear what the next step is – with another target, Armando Borja looking destined for West Ham – but Howe will certainly be pushing to try and get a deal done as soon as possible.
