Eddie Howe remains confident he will still be Newcastle United manager next season after speaking with the club’s Saudi owners this week.
Speculation has surrounded the 48-year-old’s future following a poor run of form in the Premier League. Four consecutive defeats has left them 14th in the table and just eight points off the relegation zone.
Howe sat down with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) on Thursday to review the Magpies’ disappointing campaign, which will end without a trophy and, most likely, qualification for European football. He described the talks as “challenging” but “constructive”.
Howe confident of Newcastle future following ‘challenging’ PIF talks
“Yes, I presented, we discussed,” he told the media on Friday. “There were challenging conversations, challenging questions, but that’s all part of it.
“Those meetings, I’ve had that every year, regardless of our league position, where you’ll be challenged and probed on certain decisions that you’ve made, how we’ve ended up in certain scenarios, and then you explain the process behind it.
“This year, of course, slightly more difficult questions because of our league position, there’s no getting away from that. But the process behind it was exactly the same as it has been ever year.
“It’s always constructive because they clearly care so much about the football club, the long-term planning that’s clearly going on, on a number of levels.”
Howe does not fear for his job following the meeting, but he is fully aware he has a “responsibility” to improve results.
“I’ve never needed clarity in my head [on the future], in the sense that I’m here, I’m working and I’m committed,” he said.
“A football club has to do what a football club has to do. The football club needs to see we are going in the right direction and there’s a positive feeling and fighting on all fronts. You can talk as much as you want but the proof is in how the team performs. I’m under no illusions that that needs to be positive.
“I don’t need reinvigorating. I’m invigorated. My motivation levels are really high.
“I think you learn a lot from these moments we are in. I’m learning a lot currently. Difficult runs force you to really reevaluate everything and improve so sometimes in the most disappointing moments are the times when you improve the most.”
“I have to retain that confidence (that I’ll be here next season). It’s doesn’t serve anybody, not to have that long term vision. But we need to win games.
“I feel there’s unity within the football club. But in my position, I’m under no illusion, I have to get results – to keep that feeling and that trust. It’s a responsibility that comes with the job.”
There has also been growing speculation that the PIF will pull back from their investment in Newcastle after it ceased funding LIV Golf.
Asked if he had been given any assurances about PIF’s future financial support, Howe responded: “No, and I didn’t seek any either.
“But I’d say that what came through was the determination to succeed and to continue to grow the club in every aspect.
“The desire is unchanged, to try and get to the top of the Premier League, to try and win as many trophies consistently as possible. I don’t think while PIF are, our owners, or part owners, majority owners that will change. They are very ambitious for the football club.”
