United ‘must show’ coveted stars they are moving forward
NEWCASTLE United need to show Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak that the club are ‘moving forward’ – even if those links with PSG and Arsenal ‘don’t mean anything’ in Eddie Howe’s eyes.
Injury-ravaged Newcastle currently lie in eighth place in the Premier League with eight games to go in what has been a testing campaign for the black-and-whites.
In contrast to a year ago, when Newcastle were fighting for a place in the Champions League, Howe has seen Bruno and Isak being touted with moves away in recent weeks.
Newcastle, ideally, do not want to lose any of their best players this summer, but the Premier League’s current profit and sustainability rules leave such clubs vulnerable given how the Magpies’ revenues pale in comparison to the top flight’s established order.
Darren Eales previously agreed that every player had a price and, unprompted, the Newcastle CEO even highlighted how Liverpool sold Philippe Coutinho, how West Ham let Declan Rice go and how Aston Villa agreed to cash in on Jack Grealish, who had a £100m release clause in his contract, to ‘create headroom.’
Newcastle’s owners have spent upwards of £400m to date, and only raised notable fees through the sales of Allan Saint-Maximin and Chris Wood, and Howe has ‘a few thoughts not for public consumption’ on financial regulations.
So what does the Newcastle boss make of upwardly mobile clubs with wealthy backers potentially being left at risk?
“Seeing players linked with other clubs doesn’t mean anything,” he told reporters. “We have got to continue to grow the club in lots of different ways.
“Post-season tours are a way for us to try and generate money to help the club long-term. That’s really key in this, and keeping our best players, in trying to grow our income.”
It is worth noting that Isak declared earlier this week that he ‘wanted to be here in the future’ and the club’s record signing said he did not want to ‘entertain these types of questions and rumours.’
Bruno, meanwhile, stated last month that he was ‘very happy to be playing amongst the best in the best league in the world’ and the Brazil international vowed that he ‘absolutely planned to play here for a long time.’
Both Isak and Bruno have longterm contracts – the latter only signed a new deal back in October – and the pair pointed to Newcastle’s project when they joined a club who were a long way from playing in Europe at the time.
Although Howe ‘can never make guarantees,’ the Newcastle boss has suggested that qualifying for the Europa League would ‘certainly help’ keep hold of his prized assets – even if it is not ‘the defining factor.’
“A lot will depend on our ambitions and where the club is going to go in the foreseeable future,” he said. “I don’t think one season necessarily dictates that – it’s the general feeling of where the club is going to go.
“We need to continue to push forward as a football club, which I know is the intention of everyone. You set your ambitions not just in terms of talking but in your actions and we know we need to show to them that we’re a club moving forward.”
Boosting revenues remains cru
cial if those ambitions are to be realised. Newcastle posted a turnover of £250.3m last season and the Magpies’ income will rise further thanks to a lucrative sponsorship deal with Adidas and the money generated from playing in the Champions League earlier in the campaign.
Newcastle also stand to raise further funds from taking on Spurs and the A-League All Stars in Australia next month, which could prove the first of many such tours in the years to come. While Howe was the first to admit that he was not necessarily saying ‘I want to go’ – these friendlies take place just days after the end of a gruelling season – the Newcastle boss ‘understood the club’s position’ in attempting to find new PSR solutions.
“There are different trains of thought here,” he added. “We have to act in the best interest of the football club and, sometimes, we’re told to do certain things and you do that with the best interests of the club at heart.
“This is something from a physical perspective after a long season we probably wouldn’t want to do to be honest, but we respect the club and we respect the demands.
“The club is moving forward very quickly and we have to keep apace with everything that the club wants to do.
“When asked to do such things, we will do it with the best attitude we can.”
A lot will depend on our ambitions ... it’s the general feeling of where the club is going to go Eddie Howe