Former Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has commended Newcastle United for 'tempering expectations' by refraining from spending colossal amounts since PIF’s takeover in 2021.
Newcastle spent a club record fee of £63 million to sign Alexander Isak in the summer, while Bruno Guimaraes was the marquee signing of the January window.
However, Eddie Howe has made a number of astute signings at a cheaper price, including the likes of Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn and Nick Pope. Newcastle climbed into the top four with another statement victory over Tottenham Hotspur in North London on Sunday.
The Magpies are unbeaten in seven games (W4, D3) and have lost just one of their first 12 games in the Premier League. Howard believes Newcastle’s current generation are laying down important foundations and is confident that Howe is the right man to lead Newcastle into the long-term future.
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Howard told The 2 Robbie’s Podcast: “I always make the comparison with this Newcastle takeover to when I was playing in the Premier League and Manchester City were taken over. They said, ‘we have all the money in the world. I’ve got an idea, we’re going to get the best, world class manager, we’re going to buy all the best players and we’re going to win’. No you're not, and they didn’t.
“They had to go through [the likes of] Robinho, and all these different players, and psyche them out before they became what we now know as Manchester City. What I like about Newcastle, there’s a bunch of players that probably, when this team gets to the peak, won’t be there.
“But you need to be able to build that foundation and that slow and steady progress, tempering expectations, is a better way than going, ‘we’ve got it all figured out, we’ve got all this money, we’re going to buy all these top players’. Because guess what? You're not.
“The fact of the matter is top players want to be playing in the Champions League. So at a bare minimum, there’s no sense in going out and buying these top players, who might be b-list celebrities, when it’s the a-list ones you want.
“Get yourself into the Champions League, certainly Europa League. Eddie Howe is the right man for the job, but this is a three, four, five year process before they really hit their stride.”
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