Former Liverpool and Newcastle winger John Barnes has backed Eddie Howe to continue at St James' Park
Newcastle United's Eddie Howe arrives at Fulham
Newcastle United's Eddie Howe(Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
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Newcastle United should not be expected to challenge for Premier League titles at this stage of their development, according to ex-Liverpool and Magpies winger John Barnes.
And that means giving Eddie Howe more time to continue the work he has started following the Saudi-backed takeover of the club four-and-a-half years ago.
While Newcastle have twice qualified for the Champions League under Howe, and broke their trophy drought by beating Liverpool to lif the Carabao Cup in 2025, their progress in the Premier League stuttered last season.
Howe's men continued to impress in knockout competitions, reaching the last 16 of the Champions League and the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, but their league form was a major disappointment.
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United could only manage a 12th-place finish, which was well below their pre-season expectations.
That has led to some pressure on the United head coach, although he has earned the backing of the board and owners following face-to-face talks in the North East last month.
However Barnes, who enjoyed a two-year spell on Tyneside in the latter stages of a glittering career which hit the heights with Liverpool and England, feels that financial restrictions are playing a huge role, and at this stage, no one is better placed than Howe to take the club on.
“Absolutely, he should be for what he’s done," Barnes told Betfred. "The expectation is there because the money is there as they’re one of the the richest clubs in the world because of their owners but firstly, they’re not going to be able to spend as much as Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea and secondly, they’re not going to sign as good players, so for those reasons, why should Newcastle be challenging the top five.
“They need to build slowly. They’ve won a trophy now so I believe that Eddie Howe should definitely be the man to move them forward.
"Does taking them forward mean winning the Champions League and the Premier League? No. That’s not going to be happening for four or five years, so for that reason I don’t believe anybody could come in at the moment and do a better job than Eddie Howe.”
Newcastle are expecting a busy transfer window, with players heading both in and out of St James' Park in the coming weeks and months.
Anthony Gordon is likely to leave, with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Liverpool interested in the England winger.
However, they are thought to be in the market for several players, with priorities including a goalkeeper, full-backs and goalscoring options.
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