Eddie Howe searching for ‘fine balance’ as Newcastle United prepare for Champions League return

Newcastle’s victories over Fiorentina and Villareal in the Sela Cup concluded their preparations ahead of a new season. Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento have joined Eddie Howe’s squad this summer whilst 19-year-old Yankuba Minteh will spend the season on-loan at Feyenoord as he becomes acclimated to senior football.

An opening month of Premier League football with games against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool, will be followed by their return to the Champions League with United set to find out their group stage opponents on Thursday, August 31. This season, more than any other in recent memory, will see Newcastle rely heavily on their whole squad to get them through the rigorous demands of domestic and European competition.

This has been clear in their approach to transfers this summer with a mix of positions and ages signed in a bid to improve the quality and depth of options available to Howe. And as United’s head coach has recently stated, this was a deliberate ploy by the club to keep balance in the squad and have an evenly weighted distribution of ages across the team.

When asked about the balance between experience and youth in his squad after the win over Villareal, Howe said: “You can’t be weighted too far one way. We were aware that we needed to reduce the average age of the squad but in doing so, you don’t want to lose all that experience you have in the squad as well because it’s a fine balance.

“The experienced players like Paul Dummett, Matt Ritchie, Jamaal Lascelles, they add so much in terms of conduct and how they help the other players. You need youth as well, you need that energy and innocence that youth brings which is a real strength too.

“I think we’ve got a really good mix in the squad at the minute between all ages.”

According to Transfermarkt, Newcastle United currently have the third-oldest squad in the Premier League with just West Ham and Fulham having an average age higher than Newcastle's 27.3. By contrast, the average age of Chelsea’s squad, recorded as the youngest in the top-flight, stands at 23.4.