A huge project could be about to unfold after the departure of Peter Silverstone to Italy
Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and head coach Eddie Howe
Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and head coach Eddie Howe
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Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe admits he will be better equipped in the transfer market if the club can upgrade a brand new training ground and potentially a new stadium.
The Magpies have pumped more than £15m behind the scenes to the training HQ inherited from Mike Ashley four years ago at Benton. But they are still lagging behind the likes of Liverpool, Man City and even Leicester City who have plush facilities in comparison.
As Howe celebrates four years in the job he was asked about the need to keep progressing behind the scenes as he tries to keep up pace on the pitch.
Commercial chief Peter Silverstone departed from Juventus this week after three years in the hotseat without finding a training ground sponsor or stadium naming-rights deal, but insiders say that he may have been waiting for a brand new complex to unfold before fining the right partners. Yasir Al-Rumayyan remains committed to bringing the very best to Newcastle.
Ahead of the clash with Brentford, Howe said: "I think that's something we're well aware of as a football club.
"The training ground environment is absolutely key and you see a lot of Premier League clubs now have, in recent years, upgraded their facilities and moved into new centres and I think that's something that will never change.
"I think the demands now, the scale of work you do with the players behind the scenes is so extreme that you need all the tools available, recovery etc that hopefully are all on one site.
"So the club know that we're working towards that"
Newcastle are still to make a decision on whether to move from St James' Park or switch to a new home with Leazes Park mooted continuously in the last 12 months - a venue the club have yet to deny. However, other insiders have stressed it will be a long-term project that would take up to 10 years.
When speaking about the stadium and using it to lure the game's top stars, Howe said: "Of course, the stadium is another thing that makes a difference when you're recruiting players, when you're trying to keep your own players, it's that feeling of the club moving forward and the high ambitions, all these things matter."
Stadium supremo Brad Miller said last year "We are challenging our appointed design team, and ourselves, to make sure our eventual chosen route delivers a fantastic fan experience - one that represents the fans, city, region, and club, and aligns with the long-term ambitions of our ownership group.
"But it must provide an investable return, and not least deliver strong revenue growth to increase our PSR headroom, which, as everyone knows, means we can invest more in football."
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