Eddie Howe has admitted he will never be able to bask in the glory no matter what he achieves at Newcastle.
The 45-year-old led the club to the brink of Champions League qualification in his first full season.
A win over Premier League side Leicester on Monday at St James’ Park will be enough to secure a place in the top four.
Team. pic.twitter.com/dOgbaoBHv0
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) May 19, 2023
But even ending the 20-year wait to return to the big stage at the end of the campaign, which also included the first appearance in a major cup final since 1999, did not satisfy the head coach of the Magpies.
Asked if that was the case, Howe said: “Unfortunately, yes, which means you are on a sort of conveyor belt that you can’t get off.
“Everyone will say, ‘This is a great achievement.’ All I can think about is that the next challenge is coming up and then I’m getting ready for the next challenge because you can’t sit back and say, “Okay, I’m going to take a month off and go to the beach.” .
“On the contrary, it’s, ‘OK, how can we best succeed in the next phase now?’ So you’re always trying to get better.”
Newcastle’s growth since Amanda Staveley’s consortium completed its takeover in October 2021 has been meteoric and while the Saudi-backed owners have invested more than £250m into the playing team, the influence of Howe and his staff has been significant.
There is a growing unity of purpose at the club and the former Bournemouth boss has revealed that Staveley and husband Mehrdad Godoussi remain at the center of it.
Howe said: “I invited Amanda and Mehrdad to talk to the team, I think it was about 10 days ago, just to talk to them, to the owners, because it is so important for the club that we are united from top to top. lower.
“They came, they talked to the players, they were just great. It was actually a good moment for everyone in the room to gather their thoughts about each other and then try to focus on the last few games we’ve had and it’s had a positive impact on us.”
ONE STEP CLOSER.
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— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) May 18, 2023
If Monday works as Newcastle are hoping, the focus will shift to summer recruiting in preparation for a challenge that comes unexpectedly quickly, although Howe is realistic about what Staveley and her partners can do.
He said, “No matter what happens, we will not have a bottomless pit. We will be in tough conditions. Whatever we do in the transfer market, we need to be very smart.
“In the three transfer windows I’ve had, we’ve been excellent and we must continue like this.”