Eddie Howe has been hailed a 'great young manager' by former Newcastle United and West Ham boss Alan Pardew.
Ahead of Saturday's clash between his two former sides, Pardew spoke West Ham's official website.
Within the interview, he spoke of his experiences with Newcastle United - qualifying for Europe and how West Ham's quest for a top-four finish compares, as well as praising Howe and the turnaround at Newcastle.
"Their last three results have been pivotal for them. They definitely now have the quality within the group and they have a great young manager in Eddie Howe.
“With the financial backing they now have, everyone will be watching them because they could blast their way up the Premier League quickly over the next few seasons."
Following the Saudi-backed takeover which finally went through in October, Newcastle have the ability to strengthen their squad and did do in January, spending the most across Europe as they bought in Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Chris Burn on permanent deals.
Pardew feels the fans are finally getting their wish.
He added: “They have the financial muscle, probably for the first time since Kevin Keegan’s time, to give those great fans what they’ve always wanted.”
The West Ham dugout will contain a familiar face for Newcastle fans - one-time captain Kevin Nolan is part of David Moyes' backroom staff.
Nolan, who famously scored a hat-trick against Sunderland back in 2010, is still held in high regard by Toon supporters, and Pardew also speaks highly of him.
“Kevin was my captain and a great help to me when I first went in at Newcastle. He’s a demanding, sound character and he will push things all the way."
