Eddie Howe has hinted that Newcastle will continue to sign “up-and-coming” talents who they can develop into superstars, explaining why these players fit his style perfectly.
Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, Howe revealed that young players with the potential to grow are not only more affordable in the world of FFP, but easier to mold into his style of play.
Howe discussed his plan to sign big prospects who “haven’t hit their best levels yet”, believing the club will look to “get them early” and develop them into top players rather than spending mega-money on pre-established stars; who he finds are sometimes more reluctant to adapt their game to suit the team.
“We are recruiting players who are up-and-coming.” He told Neville. “Players that haven’t hit their best levels yet. So we try to get them early, develop them and hope they can grow into those (top) players.
“Those players fit my style really well. You are developing them and growing them in a certain way. Molding them so they can fit into the team model. If you have a finished product, there’s not much molding to do there.
“That’s not to say there’s not space for a superstar or a difference-maker – you can accommodate them as well – but for where we are at the moment with the constraints we’re working under, that’s the best way for us to work.”
“Smart recruitment (is key). That is going to be where we succeed or fail. Getting players cheaper than their market value and getting them before they are recognised and develop them.”
Howe was also asked about the ‘richest club in the world’ tag and made his feelings clear on the FFP restrictions that continue to limit our spending, despite the arrival of Saudi investment:
Old news.
Kiddafromthetoon(Quote)
Bit of a ridiculous comment when the full 50-minute interview was only released yesterday!
Olly Hawkins(Quote)
Had a proper Howe fix yesterday, watching the overlap interview and the TF special celebrating his 100 PL games as toon manager.
Club are very lucky to have such a diligent, thoughtful and effective manager and I hope he remains here for a long time
getreal(Quote)
Some stuff on Howe;
49 wins in 100 games is impressive enough to keep him below only klopp and guardiola in their first PL starts and level with arteta. Compound that with his starting point ( rock bottom ) compared to where they started and that he won one in his first 9 games and it’s even better
It took nufc between 2016 and 2022 to record 49 PL wins prior to Howe
When Howe came in nufc were in the bottom 1% percentile across Europe in intensity. They’re in the 80% percentile this season ( a rise on last season btw)
This club is an unbelievable contrast to pre-Howe and we still see dipsticks questioning if he is the right manager for this club. I’m not talking about questioning his in the moment decision making but suggesting he’s taken the club as far as he can.
Howe’s just getting started.
getreal(Quote)