Eight months after taking one of the most depressing jobs in football, Eddie Howe has managed to turn not just a football club but an entire city around as supporters eagerly anticipate the new season.
After a great start to this summer’s transfer window, Howe believes our next signing will be the toughest to get over the line but will remain patient in trying to get ‘the right one in the right position’.
He’s also talked up the role Dan Ashworth is playing behind the scenes and his “really good contacts” in the game, explaining how he’s now only working on transfers but assessing “every aspect” of the club.
In just the last few weeks we have already seen countless targets be ruled out as too expensive, proving that getting new improvements may be harder than we first thought.
When asked if this next transfer will be the toughest, Howe said:
“You are trying to lead me with your question…but it is a good question.
“Yes, we are now in an area where we are still looking. We want to improve the squad. We’re really pleased with what we have done (so far, signing Targett, Pope and Botman) but we know that we have got more to do.
“However, it has got to be the right one, in the right position. So it is not simple. When you look at how our squad is built, it is not a simple puzzle to solve.
“We are trying to do that as much as we can and we are working very, very hard. If I am not here talking to you (the media) or taking training, I am working on recruitment.
“A lot of work has gone into it but it is hopefully going to be worth it, because as you say, the next move (in the transfer market) is probably one of the most important I will make.
“The ideal is to have all of your signings in before the start of pre-season but he reality is, particularly because of the length of this transfer window, that was never going to happen. So to have three players in, and they have all settled really well, I am delighted.
“These trips (training camps to Austria and Portugal) are really good for them, this is where they really get to know each other behind the scenes. They (the new signings) have been exposed to the fundamental principles of our work, I think you start from a base of simple work, then you develop from there.”
Back in January, Howe was tasked with not only leading the team in training, but heavily involved in bringing in new faces as well as it was still early days for the new regime.
However, last month Newcastle appointed Dan Ashworth as Sporting Director to aid Howe in what would have been an impossibly busy summer if he was once again left to do the transfer work.
When asked on how his role has changed since the arrival of Ashworth, Howe said:
“A step back isn’t quite right, I have now got Dan’s experience, which has been invaluable, he has made a real impact in all aspects of the club in such a short space of time.
“However, he is not just looking at recruitment, he is looking at every aspect of the club from top to bottom, using his experience to try and improve what we deliver.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him, as he has been a big help on the transfer front, he has got really good contacts in the game.
“I wouldn’t say a step back (for myself), as I can’t, because this is so important. Certainly though, we have got more help.”
