Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe wants to keep key players Bruno Guimarães and Alexander Isak at the club this summer, despite potential restrictions imposed by the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability (PSR) rules. In a press conference ahead of Saturday’s game with Fulham, manager Strak said Newcastle face uncertainty when it comes to reinforcements and described the coming summer as difficult.
Isak has scored a respectable 19 goals so far this season and Guimarães is also attracting the attention of other elite clubs. However, Howe considers both players invaluable. “I will tell you that players like Bruno are not in every corner,” the coach said of the Brazilian midfielder.
He revealed about the Swedish gunner that he is pleased with his form, which on the one hand is attracting the attention of other clubs. “That’s exactly what you want. It means you’re playing at a level where you’re going to impress everyone. It’s a credit to all the players – they’re playing well and showing what they can do,” added Howe.
Eddie Howe on Bruno Guimarães future: “My intention would be to keep Bruno here for as long as we possibly can… but I can never make any guarantees as that would be foolish”.
“Who knows what the future holds, but we do our best”.
“Players like Bruno are very, very rare”. pic.twitter.com/Gxtx4gGRv1
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 5, 2024
According to the English coach, he prefers to keep both players before selling them. But he could free the club’s hands in the transfer market. At the moment, Newcastle cannot afford to spend too much in order not to break PSR rules. “But I can never make guarantees. It would be foolish of me. We’ve been around football long enough to know that nobody knows what’s going to happen tomorrow,” mused the Amersham native.
Asked by reporters if the players he was talking about wanted to stay on their own, he said: “Who knows? We have to make sure they feel happy and at home, develop them and hope that’s enough for them to stay here with us as long as possible.” He also talked about the importance of showing high ambitions. “A lot also depends on the ambitions of where we are heading as a club. We can’t just talk, we have to show that we are moving forward,” Howe thinks.
Eddie Howe speaks to the media ahead of #FULNEW tomorrow.
On Lewis Hall:
“We hope he’s fine and that he’ll be back training. We anticipate he’ll be part of the group [for tomorrow].” pic.twitter.com/Yth1nABaCW
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) April 5, 2024
Newcastle would especially need to strengthen the defensive and reserve lines in the summer. For example, centre-backs Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman are out for extended periods. “It’s going to be a tough summer. I have an idea of how I’d like to strengthen the squad, but I won’t reveal specific positions,” Howe said, adding: “There are many unknown factors that can affect the transfer window, so it’s impossible to predict anything.”
Back in January, Newcastle chief executive Darren Eales hinted that in order for the Tyne and Wear outfit to spend, they would first have to sell some players. “This topic is not suitable for the public’s ears. We will solve this behind closed doors,” Howe now concluded his speech.
Table
1
Liverpool FC
30
21
7
2
70 : 28
70
2
Arsenal FC
30
21
5
4
72 : 24
68
3
Manchester City
30
20
7
3
67 : 29
67
4
Aston Villa
31
18
5
8
63 : 46
59
5
Tottenham Hotspur
30
17
6
7
62 : 44
57
6
Manchester United
30
15
3
12
43 : 44
48
7
West Ham United
31
12
9
10
50 : 55
45
8
Newcastle United
30
13
5
12
64 : 52
44
9
Brighton & Hove Albion
30
11
10
9
51 : 46
43
10
Chelsea FC
29
12
7
10
53 : 50
43
11
Wolverhampton Wanderers
30
12
6
12
43 : 47
42
12
AFC Bournemouth
30
11
8
11
44 : 53
41
13
Fulham FC
31
11
6
14
47 : 50
39
14
Crystal Palace
30
7
9
14
34 : 50
30
15
Brentford FC
31
7
7
17
42 : 55
28
16
Everton FC
30
8
8
14
31 : 42
26
17
Nottingham Forest
31
7
8
16
39 : 53
25
18
Luton Town
31
5
7
19
43 : 64
22
19
Burnley FC
31
4
7
20
32 : 66
19
20
Sheffield United
30
3
6
21
28 : 80
15
2024-04-05 21:10:19
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