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
Eddie Howe admits Newcastle have struggled with the pressure of being billed ‘the richest club in the world.’
The Magpies chief 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.
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, brought to you by Sky Bet. 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 I think 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 spend that money?
“I think that’s how football clubs should work – 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 before finishing with trips to Manchester United and Brentford, conceded last season’s high finish was a surprise.
He said: “For us, fourth was never in our eyes last year. It was a case of could we build from the previous season: first not to have a relegation battle on our hands and then grow the team forward.
“When we hit fourth, it felt like we’d climbed so quickly and early – where do we go from here? For us, we’re hugely ambitious and never take a step back – can we improve, not necessarily our league position, but our general performance.
“At times we have and at times we haven’t this year, it’s been up and down. December in particular was quite a difficult month for us this year but we’ve managed to weather that period. I think we’ve done okay – we have been consistent in our own way, and if we could maintain our position, then I think that’ll be a great season.”
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