‘IT’S MO MONEY, MO PROBLEMS’

EDDIE Howe admits Newcastle have had to battle with the pressure of being billed “the richest club in the world”.

The Magpies head coach revealed it has been an issue for his side since it was taken over by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2021.

Newcastle finished fourth last season, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2003.

But they have failed to reproduce that consistency this time around and sit sixth, 11 points adrift of fourth-placed

Aston Villa with just three games remaining.

Insight

Howe gave an insight into some of the issues that have affected them when speaking with

Gary Neville on the latest episode of The Overlap.

He said: “Whenever you hear Newcastle mentioned externally in the media, it’s always the ‘richest club in the world’ tag that goes next to it.

“That’s been difficult for us, because there’s always been that pressure on us even though we’re not living that reality.

“We’ve had to battle that; the players have handled that really well.”

But the 46 year-old maintains he has no problem with cash-rich clubs ploughing money in, especially given his own managerial history. He said: “I’ve come from a club like Bournemouth that had to invest to grow.

“So if the owner has the money and wants to invest in a safe way and put the money into the club, then why can’t he?

“We don’t want to see clubs getting into financial problems long-term, but if that money is ringfenced then they should be able to use it.”

Meanwhile, Howe, whose side host Brighton on Saturday, conceded last season’s high finish was a surprise.

“Fourth was never in our eyes last year,” he said. “It was a case of could we build from the previous season.

“When we hit fourth, it felt like we’d climbed so quickly and early.”