Botman came off the bench in this afternoon’s 3-0 win over 1860 Munich in Austria. Newcastle signed the 22-year-old defender for £35million from Lille in earlier this month after failing to land him in January.
“Really pleased to get the deal done, it’s no secret we’ve been chasing him for a long time,” said head coach Howe. “Real ability, I think you saw that today.
“He’s a presence. He’s a really good size, his technical ability has been evident from day one in pre-season. His ability to play not just long passes, but short passes. He’s very, very composed. I think he’s settled in very well to the group. He’s a very likeable person, very laid back and calm.
“I’ve been very pleased with his impact on the group in a short period of time. I think he’ll be very pleased with today.”
Check out the latest Premier League transfer speculation below...
5. Traore in demand
Everton, Leeds United, Tottenham and West Ham are all interested in Adama Traore, and Wolves would accept £10m for him this summer. (Express & Star) | Getty Images
6. Leeds prepared to pay big for De Ketelaere
Leeds United are prepared to pay a club record fee of around £31.6m to sign Charles De Ketelaere from Club Brugge. (Mirror) | BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
7. Albion hold Bassey talks
Brighton and Dutch champions Ajax have held initial talks with Rangers over the potential signing of defender Calvin Bassey. The Gers want at least £20m for the player. (BBC) | Getty Images
8. Leeds want Pepe
Leeds United want to sign Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe, but could face competition from Lyon and Marseille. (Diario de Sevilla) | Arsenal FC via Getty Images