Eddie Howe admits it is a ‘MAJOR relief’ to finally secure Champions League football with Newcastle after a restrained goalless draw with Leicester… but warns fans the upcoming transfer window will be the club’s ‘toughest yet’ will be
- Eddie Howe has spoken of his surprise at qualifying for the Champions League
- Newcastle’s place in next season’s league was secured on Monday
- But warned supporters not to get carried away by the transfer window
Eddie Howe praised Newcastle supporters for ‘getting the squad going’ and admitted qualifying for the Champions League is a ‘great relief’.
Newcastle secured a spot in next season’s Champions League competition following a 0-0 draw against relegation-threatened Leicester on Monday night.
The Magpies have undergone a transformation over the past 12 months, with Howe taking the club from the brink of relegation into Europe’s elite cup competition.
The Englishman expressed his delight at securing Newcastle’s place in the Premier League’s top four, but explained that the team has fared better after originally going out this season on its own to avoid a relegation battle.
“It’s a great relief, a great night to see the supporters and the reaction to what we’ve achieved,” Howe told Sky Sports.
Eddie Howe was ecstatic after Newcastle qualified for next season’s Champions League
The Newcastle players celebrated full-time after their nervous draw against Leicester City
Some supporters brought Champions League flags to the game on Monday night to celebrate Newcastle’s place in next season’s competition
“The target was not the top four, you always hope that, we didn’t feel we were ready for that. It was, we couldn’t have that flirtation with relegation. Their [the team] attitude, mentality is incredible.
However, Howe warned supporters not to get carried away with their expectations for the summer transfer window despite now being a Champions League side.
The Newcastle boss stressed that he is confident the upcoming recruitment period will be the club’s “toughest” yet given the roster of players from which to choose.
Howe added: “There is a very small pool of players that we can recruit. This will probably be our toughest transfer period.
“I don’t think there was anything wrong with our performance, maybe our focus was a little bit off the competition. The performances after the final were brilliant.
That’s the challenge, it’s not easy. Physically it’s a big ask, but they’ve done really well, they’ve seen the fruits of their labor, that’s helped us keep them focused.”
“We don’t want to go too far from what we’ve been doing, but there are more games, so that’s more of a challenge,” he said.
Howe finally paid tribute to the relationship his team has built with Newcastle supporters during their campaign.
Howe credited passionate Newcastle supporters for ‘exciting’ the side throughout the season
Howe (left) has transformed Newcastle from last season’s relegation survivors into one of the best teams in Europe
The former Bournemouth manager described working with the fans as “the most important thing” after the club’s best season in recent history.
He went on to explain, “I think the most important thing, if you’re not united with the fans, it’s not going to work. That’s through sheer hard work, determination, we had to show the fanbase that we were here to make them proud.
Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff (centre with ball) explained Champions League qualification is ‘incredible’
“The supporters were incredible even in the dark days of the first few weeks. They galvanized the plow.
‘When you achieve something, you want success. The only hard thing is there is no trophy, we will enjoy tonight, but we want to bring silverware here if we can in the future,” he added.
Midfielder Sean Longstaff echoed similar sentiments at full-time, explaining: “I can’t put it into words. It’s unbelievable. I’m so proud of everyone.’
As England international Kieran Trippier beamed: “It means everything. I took a risk when I first arrived, but we deserve to be in the position we are in now.”