It is not often a manager is handed a long-term contract just nine months after his arrival. However, the timing of Eddie Howe's new deal at Newcastle United was far from a coincidence on the eve of the new campaign.
It was not only a reward for the impressive job Howe did last season but, also, proof that the owners genuinely believe the head coach will be with them for a while yet in their quest to deliver 'long-term success'. Howe, after all, is still only 44 and the Newcastle boss' ability to build as much as his experience of relegation battles appealed to the hierarchy and, particularly, chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan when they hired him last November following a failed move for Villarreal boss Unai Emery.
Howe had previously spent nearly eight years at Bournemouth during his second spell at the club, taking the Cherries from League One into the Premier League, and helped his side punch above their weight in the top-flight for many years. Now, Howe will look to do the latter on a much grander scale as Newcastle attempt to one day upset the established order.
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Having already fulfilled his primary objective, to keep Newcastle in the top-flight last season, after inheriting a winless side low on confidence, Howe will now relish the challenge of taking the Magpies into the top half and beyond. Given how Newcastle are going to have to be particularly clever in the transfer market, because of financial regulations, Howe and his staff's continued ability to improve players, foster a team spirit and raise standards further will be invaluable.
Even Dan Ashworth remarked he had seen 'how much of a diligent, detailed, hard-working coach and leader' Howe is in the 'short period of time' the sporting director has worked with the head coach. To put that comment into perspective, the pair have only been colleagues since June.
With that in mind, it may come as a surprise to you that, privately, it took time for Howe to feel truly settled and at home in the role. Not only because of Newcastle's dire situation when he arrived, which brought with it its own intense pressure between November and April, but, also, because Howe was living away from his family on the South Coast for the first time.
In contrast, ahead of the season opener against Nottingham Forest, Howe has been able to introduce more of his ideas during his first pre-season in charge, knowing that Newcastle will not be shackled by the straightjacket of a relegation battle from the get-go, and his wife and three sons are due to move up in the coming weeks.
Howe has looked increasingly comfortable in his own skin and that has been particularly apparent in front of the cameras at a time when the Newcastle boss is sitting in front of more reporters than he ever did at Bournemouth. Indeed, such is the interest around the club, there were not even enough chairs for the number of journalists present for his first pre-match press conference of the new season at the training ground on Friday.
It was during this briefing that Howe declared he 'couldn't be happier at the club' - just a few hours before his new contract was announced. Howe feels he has 'everything in place to try and be successful' and rather than looking to downplay expectations, unprompted, the Newcastle boss spoke openly about his dream of one day ending the club's lengthy trophy drought for the first time.
"If I sat here and said I didn't want to win a trophy, there would be something wrong with me in my position," he told reporters. "That's my dream: to win silverware, to win cup competitions, to achieve great things for the football club.
"I have to dream big on behalf of the club. That's not saying we're going to do it. That's my dream and we've got to work hard to try and achieve that and every day I'm pushing the staff and the players to try and make that dream a reality."
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