Eddie Howe is braced for forensic questioning by Newcastle’s Saudi Arabian owners at a Northumberland country house hotel in the middle of this week. Matfen Hall sells itself as a venue for rest and relaxation but Newcastle’s struggling manager knows that, with his future at St James’ Park in the balance, a scheduled “summit meeting” with the club’s chair, Yasir al-Rumayyan, and other key figures from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) could prove stressful.
“It’s something we do every year,” says Howe, referring to the annual spring event at which the ownership quiz departmental heads. “But obviously things will be slightly harder for me this time.”
Given 14th-placed Newcastle have lost nine of their past 12 Premier League games and the past five in all competitions, Rumayyan’s ambition that they become the world’s “No 1” looks more remote than ever. Here are some questions Howe may face …
Why do you regularly overlook £124m worth of attacking talent in Woltemade and Wissa?
Nick Woltemade scored nine goals in his first four months after arriving from Stuttgart for a record £69m last August and Newcastle have earned 20 points from the nine home league games featuring the German as a No 9. In contrast, the eight matches at St James’ Park involving an alternative lone striker have produced six points.
Statistics can deceive but they seem pretty compelling. Julian Nagelsmann, Germany’s manager, regards Woltemade primarily as a striker and is “bothered” that the 6ft 6in player now tends to be deployed in midfield or benched at Newcastle. Are Anthony Gordon and the current first-choice centre-forward, Will Osula, really more effective up front?
Wissa scored 19 Premier League goals for Brentford last season. PIF granted permission for his £55m signing on September’s transfer deadline day even though, at almost 29, he offered no scope for resale profit. Almost immediately, Wissa sustained a fairly serious knee injury playing for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and missed the first half of the season. Since recovering in December he has seemed an eternal substitute. Why? And given that he has impressed as a No 9 and left-winger for Brentford and the DRC, is it worth experimenting with him in the latter role?
Why are you wedded to a high-energy version of 4-3-3?
Admittedly 4-3-3 served Newcastle very well when the Carabao Cup was won last season and in achieving Champions League qualification twice in three years but with that system’s spearhead, Alexander Isak, sold to Liverpool for £125m last summer, does it still work?
Would a switch to 3-5-2, 4-3-1-2 or 4-4-2 better utilise Woltemade’s skills while camouflaging his flaws? Admittedly the “two-metre Messi” is a bit slow and not the best in the air but he is technically brilliant and blessed with the knack of creating and converting chances. In other words, a forward likened to Harry Kane by Gordon may thrive slightly deeper, playing between the lines as a No 10. Why not try Woltemade behind Wissa and perhaps shift to a slightly more possession-based style?
Second-half burnout appears to be a problem for Newcastle, who have surrendered 25 potential points from winning positions this season – more than any other top-tier side. Why have Newcastle conceded 19 league goals after the 75th minute? Is the high-intensity, hard-pressing, often counterattacking, philosophy to blame? Has athleticism been prioritised at the expense of imaginative incision? The team’s running statistics are better than those recorded during the past two seasons while virtually all other key metrics have declined. Explain.
Have the players stopped listening to their manager?
After the recent home defeat by Bournemouth Howe hesitated for seven seconds when asked whether the squad shared his “fire”. It was an uncomfortable pause and, although he finally said the players were “committed” and has subsequently diagnosed “confidence” as the root problem, this view appears undermined by Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimarães. Trippier said he and his teammates “deserved to be booed” after the Bournemouth defeat, and Guimarães, the captain, recently told Brazilian television: “I don’t know if some players got a little complacent but, overall, we got a little complacent. It’s not a good season.” Has Howe struggled to repair faultlines in a dressing room arguably fractured by Isak’s acrimonious departure last summer? Is he the right manager to preside over a sizeable summer rebuild after the expected departure of Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento and Gordon and older stalwarts including Trippier and Fabian Schär?
Have you become set in your ways? Are groupthink and trust problems?
With the exception of the Danish set-piece specialist Martin Mark, Newcastle’s coaching staff are largely British and, in many cases, also worked with Howe at Bournemouth. Is a new, possibly foreign, senior coach with fresh ideas and an alternative mindset needed? And, if so, would Howe and his longstanding sidekick, Jason Tindall, be prepared to trust “an outsider”?
Ross Wilson is the third sporting director appointed during Howe’s tenure. Howe never bonded with Paul Mitchell, Wilson’s predecessor, and his exit last June left Howe and his nephew Andy Howe, who has a senior recruitment role, with a big say in squad refreshment. About £225m was spent on Woltemade, Wissa, Anthony Elanga, Jacob Ramsey and a £4m loan fee was paid for Aaron Ramsdale. All five have struggled and their cost has left the club potentially in breach of European spending rules. Will they come good? Howe demands a big say over transfers; is he willing to allow Wilson, whose knowledge of less “obvious” markets is extensive, to dilute it? David Hopkinson, Newcastle’s chief executive, has implemented a “one club” philosophy but Howe restricts some employees’ training-ground access. Is he prepared to embrace increased integration?