Eddie Howe certainly made some interesting comments from Newcastle United’s training base in Germany on Friday.
Howe, of course, has been strongly linked with the vacant England job after Gareth Southgate’s departure following the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
While the Newcastle manager insists he remains committed to the club, he did not exactly rule out leaving altogether.
Indeed, he stressed that working conditions at St James’ Park must be right, with PIF having recently appointed Paul Mitchell as a sporting director, as well as taking into account the departures of Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi.
That particular news is said to have hit Howe hard, too.
Certainly, there have been big changes at the club of late and owners PIF are thought to have told Howe that next season must be better.
Mitchell was appointed without Howe’s input and while the Newcastle manager has been full of praise for the new arrival, there’s certainly a change in dynamic.
It will be fascinating to see how all that plays out of course and Howe was actually asked about the situation during his conversation with the Daily Mail.
Eddie Howe responds when asked about Newcastle transfer plans
When asked about whether or not he will have final say on player incomings this summer, Howe said: “These are things we are working on.”
Newcastle have a lot to do this summer
Howe is believed to want Michell to ensure he has a stronger squad available to him by the time the team jet off to Japan for a pre-season tour later this month.
Not only do Mitchell and newly-appointed performance director James Bunce first have to settle in and get to grips with working with Howe, attention then needs to turn to the transfer window little under a month before the Premier League campaign begins.
Whatever the decision the club come to in terms of structure, there’s clearly an awful lot of work to do.
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