Eddie Howe confirms £51m Newcastle United decision after 'not 100%' claim

That is despite Newcastle losing 4-1 at home to AFC Bournemouth last time out in the Premier League. The match saw Sven Botman withdrawn at half-time for Fabian Schar, who was ‘not 100%’ after a bout of illness.

Newcastle’s defence suffered, conceding four goals in a St James’ Park defeat for only the second time under Howe and the first since a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in December 2021. Botman has only recently returned from a lengthy ACL injury while Schar has started just one match so far in 2025 due to illness and suspension.

With £51million worth of talent at his disposal, Howe must decide which defensive partnership to go with at St Mary’s with Dan Burn virtually ever-present this season at centre-back.

“Yes, it was a challenge for Sven [against Bournemouth] and I think Fabi has been ill and he was not 100% fit and then we had Sven who had done really well,” Howe said. “I think he's been magnificent since his return, but obviously that was a challenge for him and I thought he looked a little bit fatigued in the game.

“Naturally, because he's been thrust into action, which has been a great thing for him. Minimal time to think, just straight back in and you've got to find his rhythm and by and large I think he's been excellent in all respects.

“A challenging few days for him, but he's one player that we've tried to look after and he's had a bit longer to recover and Fabi now hopefully is over his illness as well.”

When asked if it’s a difficult decision to make regarding his defensive selection, Howe responded with a smile: “Yes.”

Elsewhere in the squad, Martin Dubravka is set to keep his place in goal though Nick Pope will return on the bench after seven weeks out with a knee injury. Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes and Jamaal Lascelles remain sidelined until at least February with various injuries with no fresh issues reported from the training ground this week.