Newcastle United FC head coach Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall look on
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe's 'remarkable' scouting work has been revealed as the Magpies gear up for a busy summer of wheeling and dealing.
The north east outfit are expecting a busier trading period than enjoyed in recent times after recently keeping their powder dry amid an ongoing PSR battle. Howe will work with sporting director Paul Mitchell, recruitment chiefs Steve Nickson and Andy Howe and the club's majority ownership to get exciting deals over the line at St James' Park - a far cry setup to the one he was used when dragging Bournemouth up the footballing pyramid.
Back then, Howe worked with a threadbare group of staff and limited budget, travelling to games with Jason Tindall to cast a close eye over top talent in the lower division. Thomas Spring, a recruitment analyst at Bournemouth during Howe’s time on the south coast, was one of those who worked closely with the duo behind the scenes, being blown away by Howe's detail in the process.
“I would say the process that we had was extremely detailed and a lot of skilled people were involved in the player decision process," Spring told the Overlap Breakdown. “From Richard Hughes, to Des Taylor, Andy Howe, Eddie Howe.
"He [Eddie Howe] probably did more work than a scout on a player. He was truly remarkable in the work he did on players."
Spring, who now works for Saudi side Al-Ettifaq, continued: “He would go to games live to scout a player. I think most managers are like that because they are the ones investing time into that player.
“They’re going to be with them on the training pitch everyday, they’re the ones that are going to be investing their time, effort and skillset into that player so they go to these games, watch these players and assess them thoroughly to ensure that they can work with them and they can be a success.”
Newcastle's transfer track record under Howe reads well, with the club benefitting from the fair share of control he still enjoys in player recruitment on Tyneside. With the summer window rapidly approaching, the Carabao Cup-winning coach will be hard at work identifying talent who can improve this Magpies side further.