Eddie Howe is confident Newcastle’s Saudi backers remain firmly behind the club’s bid to establish itself as one of the world’s best, following “challenging conversations” with owners this week.
The 48-year-old manager reviewed the disappointing season at Matfen Hall on Thursday and believed Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which holds an 85% stake in the club, remains committed to the ambitious vision laid out when it took over in October 2021.
Newcastle’s “constructive” discussions with PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayan come as the Saudis announced their decision to stop funding LIV Golf, which has invested more than $5 billion (£3.7 billion), at the end of the 2026 season.
Asked whether he had received any assurances about future financial support from PIF, Howe said: “No, I haven’t asked for any either.”
“But I would like to say that my determination to succeed and to continue to grow the club in every way has paid off.
“The desire to be at the top of the Premier League does not change. We try to win as many trophies as possible consistently. I don’t think that will change if PIF were our owners or majority owners who are part owners. They are very ambitious for the football club.
“A lot of the things they need to do to develop the club will take some time. We will get back to the stadium, the training ground. Of course, because everything is linked to income, these things do not happen with the click of a finger.”
“Everyone wants to fast-forward, but sometimes it takes a little while to get these things right.”
‘Newcastle’s long-term vision’
Gary Neville backed Howe to turn things around at Newcastle.
He said that when he met the club’s owners, “there were difficult conversations and difficult questions, but that was it.”
“That meeting is held every year, regardless of league position, where we challenge and examine certain decisions you’ve made, how we ended up in certain scenarios, and then explain the process behind that.
“This year, of course, there are some more difficult questions because of where we are in the league, so there’s no getting away from that, but the process behind it is the same as it has been every year.
“They are always constructive because they care a lot about the football club – the long-term plans that are going on at many levels.
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Sky Sports chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol explains how changes in Saudi investment in sports could impact the future of Newcastle, Mohamed Salah and LIV Golf.
“Regardless of what happens in the short term, it is a very exciting time ahead for the club. There is a clear long-term vision.”
Howe led the club to the Champions League twice and ended Newcastle’s 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy during his four-and-a-half years on Tyneside, but admitted league form this season had not been good enough and that was reflected in Thursday’s conversation.
‘I am confident I will be here next season’
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Howe’s own future has been the subject of heated debate in recent weeks following his side’s ninth defeat in 12 Premier League games. This left Newcastle in 14th place, eight points behind European qualification, but avoided relegation by the same margin.
He knows the continuation of Saturday’s game against Brighton at St James’ Park could be problematic for him, but insisted he is fully focused on taking the club forward.
He said: “I’ve never needed clarity in my head (about the future) in the sense that I’m here, I’m working, I’m committed. A football club has to do what a football club has to do.
“As a football club we have to make sure we are going in the right direction and there is a positive feeling and fight on all fronts. You can talk as much as you want, but the proof will be in how the team performs. I have no illusions about the need to be positive.
“I don’t need to rejuvenate. I feel energized. My motivation level is really high.
“I think we learn a lot from the moment we’re in. I’m learning a lot right now. Difficult runs make you really reevaluate everything and make progress. Sometimes the most disappointing moments are when you make the most progress.”
“I have to remain confident that I will be here next season. Not having a long-term vision doesn’t help anyone, but we have to win games.
“I feel there is unity within the football club, but there are no illusions on my part. To maintain that feeling and trust, you have to get results. That is a responsibility that comes with the job.”
Midfielder Joelinton is available after serving a two-match suspension, while Anthony Gordon could return from a hip flexor injury.
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Paul Merson has warned Newcastle against sacking Eddie Howe despite recent poor results.
Neville supports Howe
last weekendsky sports Pundit Gary Neville has backed Howe at Newcastle despite poor recent results that have lifted the Magpies to the bottom half of the Premier League in European football.
“It’s a really disappointing season,” he said. Gary Neville Podcast.
“The transfer business at the end of the summer transfer window was a real problem for them. They ended up with (Nick) Woltemade and (Yoane) Wissa and it hasn’t paid off yet.”
“I think full faith and trust in Eddie Howe is the way to go.
“They’ve got a really good manager. At some clubs it’s easier to say ‘we’ve got a five or six year deal, let’s change the manager and keep the players’, whereas at Newcastle it’s the opposite.”
Gary Neville backed Howe to turn things around at Newcastle.
“They will think, ‘If we lose him (Howe), we have lost a really solid performance manager, reliable, consistent and with a great attitude.’”
“I hope they sit down with Eddie Howe and look at (the squad) and he says, ‘These are the players I want, he’s a shift worker for me, these are the players I’m bringing in for next season, I want to get these four or five guys in and I want to get our business done early while everyone is thinking about the World Cup.’
“They are a really good team, I love watching them and they will need to support their manager properly, buy into him and support him.”
“If I were Newcastle I would do that because they have one of the best players there and I think he will help them challenge for the Champions League again next season.”
Howe knows the support won’t last forever.
Sky Sports News reporter Keith Downey:
“Eddie Howe gave a press conference yesterday at a high-level meeting at Matfen Hall in Northumberland.
“The news I received overnight was that majority shareholders PIF support Newcastle’s plight and understand why this season has been largely disappointing.
“And nothing Howe said today was against that. He outlined the club’s unity and emphasized PIF’s ambitions to get to the top. But Newcastle, who sit 14th in the Premier League standings, look a long way off that lofty spot.
“I was asked challenging questions,” he said. “The questions are harder (than usual) because of the league standings.” But he also felt there was support and understanding for his relief.
“Howe has said again that there is no need to be clear about his future. He does not need to be rejuvenated. Despite that, there is still no certainty that he will be here next season and the outcome will depend on what happens between now and the summer.
“We have four games left and we have lost five. “I have no illusions. “We have to win the game,” he repeated several times. In football, things change quickly and Newcastle need to start winning immediately.
“He may have the support of the PIF for now, but he knows it won’t last forever if Newcastle keep losing football games.”
