Eddie Howe has revealed that the club are looking to “invest in more young players” over the next few transfer windows.
When asked about links with Cristiano Ronaldo – who is now available on a free transfer after leaving Manchester United – the boss insisted we are looking to bring the average age of the squad down.
Howe talked up the need for long-term growth and feels that vision will be achieved by attracting future stars to St James’ Park, feeling this is a “big part” of our progression as a club.
With that in mind, it seems ageing players entering the twilight years of their career will not be targeted in the coming windows, with the focus shifting to up and coming gems who can grow with the club.
When asked about the Ronaldo rumours, here’s what Howe had to say – pouring cold water on that transfer link and hinting towards our recruitment plans in 2023:
“We’re trying to provide long-term growth, we’ve got a longer-term vision,”
“At the moment, we have quite an ageing squad, so we probably need to invest in more young players.
“That’s probably a big part of our progression, really.
“We need to get the average age down, so it (Ronaldo) might not be a signing that we would necessarily look to make – but not underestimating the quality of the player.”
