One of the biggest questions that Newcastle's owners and board members will have to find an answer for is whether to keep Eddie Howe after the Premier League season or not, as calls to sack him grew louder after the Magpies suffered a shocking 7-2 loss against Barcelona at the Nou Camp. Newcastle are currently 9th in the Premier League with 42 points, and are only 7 points away as it stands from 5th place, which will probably earn you Champions League qualification after the season.
However, the bigger question now is whether Newcastle should keep Howe even if he manages to have them qualify for the biggest competition in European football, as there are serious question marks if the club has grown or not in the past year or 2.
Eddie Howe has to take some blame, but Newcastle are going through a repeat of their previous season in the Champions League due to the Club's negligence
We are going to start by clearly stating that Eddie Howe has taken a lot of blame for a lot of things that have gone wrong for Newcastle this season, as some of the shocking losses and draws they've had this season are inexcusable considering the talent they have in their team. However, our opinion is that the major blame doesn't lie on Howe, and sacking him won't cause an issue to be the biggest issue. In fact, we would go as far as stating that it would be impossible for the club to find a coach that wants to join Newcastle that is an upgrade on Howe.
Fans who have been regularly following Newcastle for the past few years can easily identify their problem, and that is squad depth. The last time Eddie Howe's side had Champions League football and the Premier League together, they couldn't handle the schedule and they went to suffer in games. The following season, Newcastle were back to their brilliant best with no European football and they ended the season with Champions League qualification. Thus, Newcastle are now going through this cycle for the second time in a row.
It is quite apparent that an Eddie Howe team is one that is high on work-rate, intensity, and aggression. Thus, there is hardly any surprise to see the team struggle when the season is filled with tons of games. We believe that if Newcastle can somehow manage to pump up enough budget in the upcoming transfer window and bring in numerous quality players for Howe, then the English manager could turn them into a solid team that consistently finishes in the top 5 each year.
Newcastle's financial constraints and transfer market failure could be the villains that led to Eddie Howe getting sacked
Newcastle are the richest team in the Premier League. However, they are not able to spend their money like how Manchester City used to do after their takeover due to the strict financial rules in football at the moment. Another major factor that has negatively impacted the club is their failure to make right signings in the transfer window. The fact that Eddie Howe doesn't favour the likes of new arrivals Anthony Elanga, Nick Woltemade, and Yoane Wissa is the biggest proof of how flawed their current scouting system is. They also their midfielder Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest, who is now one of the most wanted midfielders in Europe now
Newcastle have 2 choices according to us, either improve their scouting and transfer strategy to provide enough squad depth and quality for Eddie Howe to perform according to his best abilities, or get a manager who plays a style of football that doesn't require the same work-rate and can get positive results with a thin-squad compared to other Premier League giants. Let us wait and see what the owners and management end up doing.
