Eddie Howe has sent a strong message to in-demand star men Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes - as he revealed the Toon’s transfer plan.
The Toon boss has told the £200m duo that Newcastle ’s playing style suits them and should love the platform their Tyneside team-mates give them to shine. Isak is wanted by Arsenal who could double his wages but it remains to be seen if the Gunners can afford his transfer fee after netting 25 goals - the first striker in black and white to do that since Alan Shearer 20 years ago.
The Swede benefits from Newcastle’s quick counter-attacking style. Guimaraes is fancied by Manchester City if they have a summer rejig but the 26-year-old would have to fight for a place at the champions, and would be shunning his hero status on Tyneside if he left.
Howe is “desperate” for both to stay and keep improving and warned: “They are suited to how we play. They are two outstanding players. They can, and have, made a difference in numerous games for us but it is always about the team for me, how it functions and how they give a platform for those two to play.
“Their involvement in the goals at Brentford was top class. But you can’t forget their team-mates. A team effort sticking together through good and bad times.”
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Howe has insisted Newcastle did improve this season despite slipping from fourth to seventh. They played six games in the Champions League, had horrific luck in the cup draws, but netted 102 goals in 51 games. A reflective Howe said: “I will only have good memories of how much we have given in some amazing games and memories and performances.
Alexander Isak bagged 25 goals for Newcastle this season (Visionhaus/Getty Images)"The Champion League was a test of our resources. We had some challenging moments (with injuries) when we had to dig deep but the players never let me down. It is a season of progression. The league table may say differently but we have grown stronger as a team.
"Next year I hope we display that in our league position. It has been a good season for us but that has to continue, and we have to get stronger. The feeling in the group is so strong in the dressing room and with the staff. That is not always the case. So yeah, we have a lot of good going for us.
“I never judge it only on league position. I look behind it and the performances and the amount of goals we have scored. The hardest thing to do. The amount we conceded also tells you something and that is the area we have to improve on.”
Aaron Ramsdale has fallen down the Arsenal pecking order and is a target for Newcastle (Getty Images)Howe could move quickly to bring in Tosin Adarabioyo and Llody Kelly on frees. Aaron Ramsdale is on the Toon radar to challenge Nicky Pope. But Howe says there is no set budget, because they have to “react” to any departures.
He added: “A lot of work has gone into the summer window and we are trying to be clever about what we are doing and smart, as we have always tried to be. It is a very difficult market to navigate. Hard to predict what will happen and what we will do. The endeavour will be to improve the squad.
“The budget? It doesn’t quite work like that these days. The whole way of trading players has changed. The days of that way are over. It is a case of reacting to what happens and bringing the players with the right characteristics to the club.
“That support for the owners is there. But the rules mean the restrictions are there. The players we have brought in have not been ready made and there is a process to getting them to where they are now. That means you need time with them and time you don’t have. There is pressure every moment to improve and keep growing and that is why it is important to keep improving.”
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