Eddie Howe has come under scrutiny after the summer transfer dealings
Newcastle United Sporting Director Ross Wilson and Chief Executive Officer David Hopkinson
Newcastle United Sporting Director Ross Wilson and Chief Executive Officer David Hopkinson(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Image)
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Newcastle United spent £250million in the summer and yet Eddie Howe still hasn't been truly backed in the transfer market.
That's the view of one of his predecessors in the St James' Park dugout - former Magpies manager Ruud Gullit.
The summer was a difficult time for Howe and the recruitment team. Having seen the Alexander Isak bombshell drop on their head, they were forced to firefight for much of the transfer window.
Not having a director of football made the situation a lot worse. Newcastle chased several targets but failed to land their players they truly wanted. Liam Delap, Dean Huijsen, James Trafford, Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike, Bryan Mbeumo, Mattheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko all came and went to different clubs.
Newcastle ended up with a some strong summer signings, although not their first choices, and a lack of consistency this season has meant there has been some murmurings about Howe's future around Tyneside.
The Toon chief retains the backing of the Saudi ownership and chief executive David Hopkinson, who spoke highly about his manager earlier this week in an interview with talkSPORT. He said: "I’m really happy with the job he’s doing.
"Eddie has been a phenomenal partner to me since the day I met him, he certainly seems like a man very focused on what he’s doing at Newcastle. His work rate is incredible. I really like the partnership I have with him… Eddie consistently indicates to us how happy he is here."
The lack of spending in the winter window, however, indicated to some a lack of backing towards Howe. There were some mixed messages around the reasons behind the cheque book remaining closed - PSR was referenced as was the right calibre of player not being available.
Gullit thinks that PIF must come out this summer and give Howe their full financial support in the transfer market, including making a 'statement signing' that will show fans and watchers that they are fully behind the manager.
“Everyone talks about Eddie Howe having unlimited funds because of Newcastle’s Saudi ownership, but I haven’t seen him backed that much recently," Gullit told Gambling Insider.
"Howe is doing a great job at Newcastle and I think the club are very happy with him. Winning a trophy was massive for them last season, which was great to see because he’s proven himself to be a great manager.
"I hope he gets the players he’s asking for in the summer, because they haven’t really made any statements signings recently or supported him. He needs to be given the tools to drive Newcastle up the table into the top four, which would be a great achievement this season."
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