Dan Burn made sure he did everything he could to ensure Eddie Howe signed him for Newcastle United.
The man from Blyth was one of Eddie Howe’s first Newcastle United signings, arriving in January 2022 for £13million from Brighton.
At the time, there was not a huge amount of fanfare about Dan Burn arriving at St James’ Park. While it was great to see a local lad back in the North East, he came after deals for the likes of Sven Botman and Diego Carlos collapsed.
But Burn has been one of Howe’s best signings. The 33-year-old has been immense in black and white, with the 2024/25 campaign proving to be the best of his career.
Dan Burn reveals phone call he made to Eddie Howe before Newcastle United transfer
However, Burn’s remarkable few years for Newcastle United might not have become a reality had it not been for a phone call he made to Eddie Howe whilst transfer negotiations were ongoing.
During an appearance on the High Performance podcast, Burn admitted he phoned the Newcastle United manager to explain why the club should buy him.
“That many people were offering players to Newcastle, because they had all this money and knew they were after players in certain positions, so I knew I was competing with six or seven players to get there,” he said.
“I was speaking to my agent and I just thought ‘stuff this’, so I was like ‘get me Eddie Howe’s number’. So I rang the gaffer and said this is what I feel I can bring to the team. On the pitch, this is what I can do. Off the pitch, I feel I am a leader and can hold people to high standards. I hold myself to high standards and feel as if that can help. I’m desperate to come home and want to help as much as possible.
“I feel those are little things that helped get it [the transfer] done.”
Dan Burn’s first impression of Eddie Howe
This is the first time in his career that Burn has worked with Howe. The duo have developed an excellent working relationship, with the giant defender becoming one of Howe’s most trusted and dependable players on and off the pitch.
Howe’s decision to sign Burn has been justified, as has Burn’s decision to join his boyhood club and work for Howe.
After making the move back to the North East, one word sums up Burn’s first impression of Howe – intensity!
“I’d spoken to people about him, so I knew what he was about,” he told the High Performance podcast.
“Very, very intense in the way he works, which I love. I love training anyway so I was more than happy with that.
“I got the impression that it wasn’t always about wanting you to be a better footballer. He wanted to improve you as a person. He really cared about you, not just ‘me, the footballer’.”
Howe’s attitude towards his players has paid off, with Burn taking his game to unimaginable heights since his arrival. At one point in his career, he never expected to play for Newcastle United. Now he has captained them, represented them in the Champions League and scored to help them win a trophy.
It really is the stuff of dreams.
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