Eddie Howe has his targets set high with Newcastle United, who will be keen to regain the feel-good factor around the club with a win over Tottenham. But he paused to praise a loyal player who will leave Spurs after a decade with the side, labelling him "one of the legends of the Premier League."
‘He seems like an incredible professional and person’
The Toon beat Carlisle United 4-0 in their first fixture of preseason, but results have not gone their way since. A 4-0 loss to **Celtic**followed before a 3-2 defeat to **Arsenal**in Singapore and a 1-0 victory for the K-League XI in South Korea. The group are eager to get back to winning ways in this match.
“We are hoping for a really good game. Two Premier League teams, two high quality teams on show and we're hoping to build up performance levels as we go through preseason. So, we're hoping for a really good performance.”
Similarly, Sandro Tonali, who sat in front of the press with his boss, is excited about the latest test.
“For us this is a good test and in preseason, everything is different. It’s a big test for the legs, a big test for the football for everything and we need to win the first game because the feeling is different much better and we try to do everything to win this game.”
The Italian will walk away from this trip to South Asia with memories of the passionate support.
“I'm happy to be here because it's the first time for me and never been here before this preseason and the fans here is amazing and we love these fans because so similar to how our fans and the crowd was unbelievable in the airport and the first day and I think when we come back over to Newcastle we will remember this moment for us for our season because this is a step for our season, for our future.”
He will also continue to build on his fitness, which has been a challenge for a fellow midfielder.
At the end of the last outing, **Joe Willock**was involved in a collision and came off the pitch on a stretcher. He will be absent from this fixture, but his situation does not look as bad as first expected.
“We feared he could have injured part of his Achilles, but thankfully that wasn't the case. But it looks like he's got a problem with a muscle in the calf. We feel that the injury isn't as serious as maybe first which is great news for Joe, but it's still going to keep him out for a number of weeks. Early diagnosis is looking say four to six which although being a blow is probably much better than initially thought.”
This clash will mark the final bow for Son Heung-Min. He announced he is going to leave Spurs this summer, and as a long-time servant of the North London club, Howe has seen him shine consistently.
*“I think he's one of the legends of the Premier League.*
*“We've come up against him many times. When I was manager of Bournemouth, so early in his Tottenham career I thought he was fantastic: his pace, dribbling ability, his desire to score goals.”*
The Korean departs with a reputation as an elite two-footed finisher and 127 league goals to his name.
“I thought he was always one of the best players we played against every season. And then the biggest test I think for a player's ability is consistency and he's been able to do that consistently every year.”
While the focus will be on the efforts of the Toon, Howe hopes that the forward enjoys his swansong.
“I've never spent time with him, but he seems like an incredible professional and person. So, it will be a really great moment to share his last game for Tottenham. Hopefully, it is a memorable occasion.”
‘There’s other areas that need some attention’
Alexander Isak is the name on everyone's lips at the moment. He was willing to push for a move to the point that he was training alone at the facilities of Real Sociedad, his old club. But **Newcastle**turned down a bid within the region of £110 million for the forward from Liverpool, and as the Reds consider whether to continue their pursuit, reports are indicating Isak is on his way back to the UK.
No matter what happens with the Swedish striker, raising the bar for the quality in the squad is a must.
“We’re looking for the best players that we can get whatever our target position is, we're looking for the best. So, I see all situations open and available to us. I feel that's the only way that we're going to get to where we want to go, which is to maximize quality over quantity. It always has been.”
Noni Madueke, Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, and Bryan Mbeumo are some of the **Premier League**proven players who decided to take their services to new clubs that were not Newcastle. Howe has had to accept the reality of rejection many times, but he still harbours high ambitions for the project.
“It's been a challenging summer because we missed out on targets for loads of different reasons, but we're still very competitive and we're still in there trying very good players to bring the club and that won't change until window shuts.”
Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich and Kang-in Lee of Paris Saint-Germain are two of the most well-known Koreans plying their trade in Europe. Both men have the respect of the 47-year-old for their skill on the pitch. However, he did not suggest that they are targets the board is examining.
“I know both players very well having watched them considerably. I wouldn't say we're actively pursuing either player. I rate them both very highly. I think they're both obviously very different players but both outstanding and as said watched them a lot. I wish them well in their careers.”
The big incoming for the team is Anthony Elanga. He joined in July from Nottingham Forest for a fee of £55 million, adding elite athleticism on the flanks to the squad as a much welcomed addition.
*“We've been trying to recruit various positions throughout the squad. One of those was in the wide areas which we successfully completed the signing of Anthony Elanga. He makes us very strong in those in that area the squad but there's other areas of the squad that do need some more attention.”*
Aaron Ramsdale has signed on a year-long loan from Southampton, and Park Seung-Soo is an exciting South Korean attacker who is also in the ranks. The manager made clear he would like to see some more faces arrive before the start of September, but did not want to divulge too much into plans.
“I'm always reluctant to go into too much detail respect for the current players that we have because in those positions we currently have some outstanding players that done historically a brilliant job.”