Newcastle can still bank £43.6m Financial Fair Play solution

Eddie Howe has suggested that a strong finish to the campaign could help Newcastle United attract ‘better’ players.

Newcastle currently lie in 10th place in the table, but just four points separate the Magpies from West Ham in seventh. Newcastle, who also have a game in hand, could close that gap with a win against the Hammers at St James’ Park on Saturday.

It is not quite the top four battle of a year ago, but finishing seventh may yet be enough for Newcastle to qualify for the Europa League if the Premier League are handed an additional Champions League spot. There are also lucrative merit payments up for grabs, which are all the more important given the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules. Aston Villa, for instance, received a combined merit payment of £43.6m from domestic and international broadcasters for finishing in seventh place last season.

You can see why Howe has railed against the notion that Newcastle’s season is over after his side were knocked out of the FA Cup in the final game before the international break. Howe sees the final 10 matches of the campaign as a ‘really good opportunity’ for Newcastle to not only to finish as high as they can but, also, to generate some momentum to ‘build for next year’ as transfer targets watch on from afar.

“European football is there for us,” the Newcastle boss told reporters. “It will be in our hands. It’s something that we want to go for and try to achieve.

“That would be a great way for us to finish the season and that would help us in lots of different ways. Playing well, playing attractive football and playing the style you want will help you recruit players. That’s always been something we have used before to help us attract better players.”

A case in point is Alexander Isak. The Sweden international said he had ‘seen the way’ Newcastle played and cited the black-and-whites’ ‘very attractive football’ as one of the reasons why he completed a club-record move from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022.