Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has hit back at claims Newcastle have bought their way out of Premier League relegation woes.
The Magpies, who are funded by Amanda Staveley’s 80 per cent Saudi-backed consortium, invested more than £90m in Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Dan Burn and Bruno Guimaraes in January, as well as Matt Targett, who signed a loan.
A streak of 10 wins from 14 league games immediately following these newcomers saw the club ebb from the bottom three and fans, energized by Mike Ashley’s departure, dreamed of what could be while critics opined that rescue was inevitable given their purchasing power.
However, on the eve of Monday night’s clash with Arsenal, Howe said: “The easy thing is to talk about money. It’s not what brought us here.
“January has helped tremendously and the money has helped the team and the players who have come in have made a huge difference. But I don’t think that’s why we did so well.
“You’re looking at the atmosphere at St James’ Park again, a lot in a place where you’re proud of the team and see a team giving their all to try and win a game.
“It was great to see and experience. It was electrifying and the crowd helped us score points. An important part of going forward is trying to keep that momentum as strong as it is now.”
Despite it all, Burn, Targett, Wood and especially Guimaraes have made a big impact – Trippier too before a fractured metatarsal knocked him out after just five appearances – the individual improvement of some of the men she was tagged into on the St team under Howe.
Emil Krafth, Fabian Schar, Ryan Fraser and spectacularly Joelinton have all done an admirable job of dispelling the myth that money alone makes the difference.
Howe said: “I want the players to be recognized for their achievements. The team came together and fought for every point and I don’t think you get that with money.”
Source: independent