Eddie Howe knows Champions League will help keep Newcastle stars happy Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is targeting a return to the Champions League as he attempts to keep in-form striker Alexander Isak and his fellow stars happy.
Asked if Newcastle needed to be in the Champions League – they played in the competition last season, but missed out on Europe all together this time around – to keep their big names happy, Howe said: “Success on the pitch is everything.
The 25-year-old has been repeatedly linked with a move away from St James’ Park with Arsenal among the touted destinations, and Howe knows he may have to fight to keep a player whose quality demands a European stage amid spending restrictions which have hampered the club’s growth.
Isak took his tally to 10 goals in 11 appearances with a first Magpies hat-trick in Saturday’s 4-0 Premier League victory at Ipswich to further enhance the reputation he has built since his £63million arrival from Real Sociedad during the summer of 2022.
That dream might have seemed fanciful a few weeks ago with the Magpies enduring a stuttering campaign, but back-to-back league wins over Leicester and Ipswich either side of a Carabao Cup quarter-final victory against Brentford have rekindled hope.
