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Eddie Howe revealed that he had not given much thought to the new questions about links between Newcastle United’s owners and the Saudi Arabian regime.
Amnesty International has asked England’s top flight body to look into the Magpies’ takeover deal, amid new evidence that raised questions about the level of separation between the Saudi state and the Public Investment Fund that bought Newcastle in 2021.
A group of Newcastle fans have also urged the Premier League to review the club’s £305m takeover by Saudi Arabian owners, amid concerns that the Magpies could be state-controlled, despite assurances. earlier that this would not be the case.
However, Howe has said that, despite the press stories, he was not distracted from the main objective of his next game, a trip to Manchester City, and that he had not asked the owners to clarify the situation.
Howe said: ‘I haven’t seen any guarantees. To be honest, I haven’t given it too much time.
Eddie Howe ‘hasn’t given too much time’ to talk about Newcastle’s links to Saudi Arabia
“I’m aware of the headlines, I’ve seen the headlines, but I haven’t really invested in the details behind them. I have to prepare for Manchester City and that has really caught my attention.
He confirmed that they had recently spoken with senior staff, especially in the wake of the Carabao Cup loss. Howe said: ‘We had regular communications with different members of the board after the game. We’ve probably committed more this week than most because of the game and the importance of the game.’
Howe said he did not feel that talk of the political and social environment around club ownership was getting in the way of his job as first-team manager.
Howe said: ‘I’ve had very open communication since the day I joined a number of people connected to the board. But my conversations with them are all related to football, at no point has it gotten political.
That is not my area, I don’t want it to be my area, I want to focus on how I can improve the team, what tools I need to do that and the relationships with the people around me in the football club are very important.
‘Now, obviously, if I feel like there’s a time I need to ask a question, I could. But I haven’t done that.
The 45-year-old gaffer was also asked if significant financial investment was required to make Newcastle trophy winners, after a long trophy-free period. He disagreed that only spending big would make Newcastle successful on the pitch, as he has always felt that his team is also critical in the process.
He said: ‘It’s hard for me to say yes, categorically, it’s just money. Because that takes away one of my core beliefs; the players, so to say, yeah, it’s just about the money, I’d better not invest the time and energy that I invest with my players now.
“But I think there’s an element of truth to that, that you need investment to really compete at the elite levels, we’re talking about, you know, upsetting the top group of teams very difficult without that investment.” So I feel like we have more to go.
‘But I also believe in the training process. And I believe that we can get more out of our players than we currently are and I will always have that belief no matter how well we are doing.
Howe said his players were just as important in the bid for Newcastle’s success as money.
Newcastle United are coming off their 2-0 loss to Manchester United at Wembley, missing out on winning their first final in more than two decades when Erik ten Hag’s side lifted the Carabao Cup.
They then take on United’s rival Manchester City on Saturday, and the lunchtime kick-off will be crucial as the Magpies look to finish in the top four in the league.
Howe confirmed that Bruno Guimaraes is fit to start tomorrow’s Premier League clash, despite twisting his ankle in last week’s showpiece in London.
Howe said: ‘Bruno is fine. Short term pain, but nothing that affected his training.
As they focus on playing Pep Guardiola’s Citizens, Howe is confident his team will play openly, despite some teams trying to ‘park the bus’ in a bid to deny their strikers goal-free, including leader Erling Haaland. .
Howe told reporters: ‘I said there are many ways to approach the game. And I wouldn’t criticize anyone doing that because it might be the best way to get a result. I’m not sure it’s ours.
The Magpies lost the Carabao Cup final last weekend, but Howe praised Newcastle fans
On the cup final defeat in London, Howe said: “We were bruised, but very quickly it turned to Manchester City.”
‘I didn’t think the passion and motivation within me could increase, but I think it has. The passion that the fans showed will stay with me, and we want to give that back.”
In the build up to the big day at Wembley, Magpies fans flocked to Trafalgar Square, and the 45-year-old maestro was impressed by what he had heard about his time in central London.
He said: ‘A couple of staff had seen family members so they were there and they saw people cleaning up the rubbish, drinks and everything. It was just an incredible act of celebration, really. That said a lot about people.’
At his hotel on Sunday night, just hours after the League Cup final, he watched the tape again for answers from the 2-0 defeat. He said that revisiting the ordeal allowed him to get to a good place that allowed him to “move forward” from disappointment.
Meanwhile, Scotland winger Ryan Fraser has been ruled out of training with the under-21s, amid ongoing problems with his first-team commitment.
It is the next stage in an ongoing saga between Fraser and Howe that began when the pair were in Bournemouth in 2020.
Asked if Fraser has a future with the Magpies, Howe revealed: “He doesn’t at the moment.” Instead, the manager spoke on behalf of the players who were part of securing Newcastle’s continued bid to finish in the top four.
Howe confirmed that winger Ryan Fraser had been sent to train with the under-21s.
On Alexander Isak, Howe said: ‘He’s getting better with more training sessions and a better understanding of what we want from him. He’s probably not in his sweet spot yet, but he’s getting close. He has a lot to give us and he will add a different dimension to our team.
He also said new boy Anthony Gordon had a “huge role” to play in the rest of Newcastle’s domestic campaign, adding: “He’s been working hard at the back because when he came to us he was a bit short of fitness from high level, so we have done that work with him.
“I’m very excited for what he can do in the rest of the season.”
Following Saturday’s trip to the Etihad, Newcastle host Wolves and then travel to Nottingham Forest before the international break at the end of March.