Eddie Howe drops 'big' Newcastle United transfer hint

Eddie Howe's attention will soon turn to the summer transfer market – ahead Newcastle United's return to the Champions League.

The third-placed club secured a place in the competition last night after claiming a point from a goalless draw against Leicester City at St James' Park.

Newcastle are four points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool with one game left to play.

Howe will need a bigger squad ahead to compete at home and abroad, and the club's recruitment team has been drawing up lists of potential targets ahead of the window.

Asked if he had a "big" summer ahead, Howe said: “Yes. I think that's where I'm in a different position to everybody else – my mind immediately now goes to next year. 

“It's a great achievement, but we want to compete, we don't just want to enter the competition, and not do ourselves justice, so a lot of work ahead, and we'll look forward to that."

Newcastle, restricted by Financial Fair Play rules which limit transfer spending, will go for quality over quantity.

“It won’t be huge numbers," said United's head coach, who took over the team in late 2021 when it was winless and 19th in the Premier League.

"I don’t think it can be. We don’t have the ability to spend the money people will think we have, so we’re going to have to be very smart.

"It’ll be a small group of players, but ones we think can make a difference."

Newcastle, 11th in the Premier League last season, will be recruiting from a "small pool" of players in the window, according to Howe.

"Our early look into the transfer market ... there's a very small pool of players to look at," said Howe. "We have to recruit wisely, as we have done in every transfer window to date. This will be our toughest one.

"We’ve got try and get it right, and that’s going to underpin our success, really.

“I think we’ve been really, really good in the three transfer windows so far.

“The challenge gets harder and more difficult, because now we’ve become abetter team there’s less players that will make us better so it’s going to be a big window for us."