Callum Wilson left a lasting impression on Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe.
Howe, of course, has been on quite the managerial journey. While he works with some of the most coveted players in Europe at Newcastle United these days, that’s not always been the case.
The Newcastle United manager had to work his way through the Football League before reaching this point. While he would have worked with good players at both Bournemouth and Burnley, not many will have been on the level of the Newcastle United squad.
That is not a reflection on those players, more of the quality Howe now boasts at St James’ Park.
Wilson, however, was a standout for Howe. The striker made his name under his watch at Bournemouth before linking up with him again at Newcastle and thriving.
The two could come up against each other for the first time on Sunday when Newcastle play West Ham and Howe has been speaking about Wilson.
Callum Wilson applauds fans in St James' Park following Newcastle United's Premier League game against Everton.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Callum Wilson is one of Eddie Howe’s favourite players
Wilson is struggling at West Ham amid a dreadful start to the season for the east London club.
The 33-year-old has scored just one goal in seven outings for the club, albeit he has only started one of those games.
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Wilson, however, was a leading light for Newcastle in the Steve Bruce era before starring under Howe too. Without his goals, the club may well have been relegated from the Premier League.
The forward was also part of Howe’s journey at Bournemouth, spearheading their rise from the Championship into the Premier League. Players sometimes take a while to get up to speed with Howe’s methods but even he admits Wilson was one of a rare bunch who hit the ground running right away.
Asked if Wilson was one of his favourite players, Howe said (via The Independent): “Yes, without a doubt.
“I can say that now because of having seen the rise of Callum. Having signed him, obviously back then he wasn’t the player he turned out to be and he had to go through a period of redevelopment. But he did that straight away and was one of the rare players I signed who went straight in.
“He scored on his debut – two goals – and never looked back. And then there was seeing how he adapted to the various challenges that were thrown at him.
“He had unwavering self-confidence, but it was never arrogance. He had it perfectly in the right place, and then he never changed with success, which is one of the key fundamentals.
“He is still the same person today as he was at the beginning of his career, so for all those reasons and seeing how hard he has worked at his game, he is absolutely right up there.”
Why did Callum Wilson leave Newcastle United?
Newcastle wanted to keep Wilson, who had reached the end of his contract on Tyneside.
The forward, however, could not agree a new deal with the club despite talks over an incentivised contract.
He opted to join West Ham and while it was brilliant to see him land a Premier League move, it’s not really gone to plan since.
Wilson was a fine player for Newcastle and it’s easy to see why Howe is such a big fan. In 282 games under his watch, Wilson scored 100 goals.