Eddie Howe reveals his view on Newcastle United's trip to Saudi Arabia

Newcastle United will travel to Saudi Arabia for a training camp after tomorrow's game against Leeds United.
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The relegation-threatened club is not in action again until February 8, when Everton visit St James’s Park, and Eddie Howe and his squad will travel to the Gulf kingdom during the 16-day break between the Premier League games.

Newcastle are 80%-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and the club will use “first-class” facilties during their stay in the country, according to Howe.

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United’s head coach believes the trip will foster the “team spirit and togetherness” that the club, which is 19th in the division, needs ahead of a tough few months on the field.

“The plan is to go away, yes,” said Howe. “I think it’s vitally important. A lot of the protocols that you have with Covid around the training ground day to day are encouraging isolation.

"We need to protect everybody, but it doesn’t foster a team spirit and togetherness that you’re going to need in the battle to stay in the division. I think it’s important we encourage that unity.

"I think going away is a great idea. It’ll be a work training camp. We’ll be training and working. I think it’s vitally important people know we’ll be very active.

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Asked about the logistics and travelling involved, Howe said: “I think it’s all manageable.

Newcastle United chairman and Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, second left, and co-owner Amanda Staveley.Newcastle United chairman and Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, second left, and co-owner Amanda Staveley.
Newcastle United chairman and Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, second left, and co-owner Amanda Staveley.

"I don’t think the distances are too far. We have to take everything into account. We’ve got a big gap between our next games. We’re quite comfortable with the travelling and the effects that will have on the players.

"I think you always have to look at both sides, and put it together. I think the facilities will be first class. I think we’ll be looked after. In terms of Covid, everything will be very, very tight.

"We’ll try and look after everybody, do some good work, and come back an even more united squad.”

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Asked if he and the squad would meet United chairman and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Howe said: “I don’t know any of those details at the moment.”

Howe does not believe that the trip to Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of “sportswashing” following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, will be a distraction.

“There’ll be no distraction from my side,” said Howe. “As I said, it’s about the training and making sure that the players are focused on our next game. We’re just doing it in a different environment to bring the group closer together.

“It’s a football decision. We’re doing it for the benefit of the players, the group, in our fight to stay in the division, and that’s my only thought.

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“The facilities and everything around the trip are going to be first-class. We will train and we will train hard and we will train in preparation for our next game, so that’s always going to be my only focus.”

Newcastle say they will confirm full details of the training camp in “due course”.

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