Eddie Howe has familiar Bournemouth faces to help him at Newcastle

Add as preferred source on Google

If appointed, Eddie Howe will already have a trio of Newcastle players that can help him settle into his new surroundings and get an insight into the mood of the Magpies dressing room.

It is being widely reported that Howe is set to join Newcastle on a two-and-a-half year deal.

The Chronicle have reported that one of Howe’s demands is that he gets to bring in his own backroom staff and have ‘familiarity’ around him.

That backroom staff and Howe’s team is something the likes of Matt Ritchie, Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson have all had experience of during their time at the Cherries together.

Howe’s former players will help him

Ritchie, Fraser and Wilson all played together under Howe, and have since gone on to join Newcastle.

With Howe coming into a side that is winless in 10 Premier League games and six points adrift from safety, being able to lean on his former players for advice and guidance should stand him in good stead.

To ensure Premier League safety, the 43-year-old is going to have to target a minimum of around 36 points from 28 games to give his potential new club a fighting chance of survival.

There is going to be very little margin for error, so being able to sound out what methods and approaches have and haven’t worked with the team previously from his former trio can only be an advantage for Howe.

Ritchie, Fraser and Wilson will be hoping that having a familiar face in charge at St James’ Park in Howe will bolster their chances of becoming integral parts of his starting line-up.

However, Fraser may face an awkward reunion with Howe after he chose not to sign a short-term contract extension with the Cherries in 2020 when they were in the midst of a relegation battle.

The pair may have to have clear the air talks to resolve their differences and decide whether they can rekindle their working relationship.

Howe is likely to want to give every Newcastle player the opportunity to prove themselves and he won’t want to be accused of favouring his formerly coached players.

Ritchie, Fraser and Wilson all played some of their best football under Howe. When their former coach is announced as the new Toon boss, they could prove to be the perfect middle men to build a strong bond between the players and coaching staff.