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Eddie Howe’s ‘difficult’ Newcastle United transfer claim as Alexander Isak given 300k reasons to sign new deal
Dominic Scurr
4 – 5 minutes
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Newcastle United celebrated the Carabao Cup win with an estimated 300,000 supporters on Saturday – but just how big an impact could the parade have?
Newcastle’s players celebrated through the city centre on an open-top bus from St James’ Park to Newcastle’s Town Moor. The Magpies’ superstars such as Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak played a key role in the celebrations.
Isak prompted Guimaraes to start a series of Newcastle chants on stage at the Town Moor before grabbing the microphone himself and stating ‘aye, aye, aye – alreet wor kid’ with a near-perfect Geordie accent.
It was a great coming together of the city and its football club in an occasion that will live long in the memory after the Carabao Cup success at Wembley Stadium. The celebrations were broadcast live on BBC and Sky and many photos and videos from the event went viral on social media – even two Sunderland players appeared to ‘like’ the celebrations.
It’s impact stretched further than Newcastle – so could it be used as a potential pursuasion tactic in the transfer market? The Magpies are now a club who wins trophies but celebrates them in the biggest and loudest manner possible, something any player would love to be part of.
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Eddie Howe reflects on ‘an amazing day’ for Newcastle United.
Reflecting on the event from the view of Newcastle’s open-top bus and the Town Moor stage, head coach Eddie Howe said: “It was an amazing day and it shows the power that football possesses, that it can change people’s mood, it can change the city’s mood, and I just think it was a great day for everyone connected with Newcastle.”
But Newcastle now prepare to return to Premier League action at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening against Brentford (7:45pm kick-off). Howe’s side will be looking to build on their cup success and secure Champions League football as they currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, a point outside of the Champions League places with a game in hand on the teams above them.
“We enjoyed the break, I think we enjoyed the line going through the cup final knowing we had a bit of time to absorb what happened in that game,” Howe added.
“Thankfully it was positive. But I think now we’re ready to play again, I think we’ll be ready to play again for a while.
“That’s what we do, and we’re still in the middle of the season, so it’s quite a long break and we’ve had to try and navigate that as well as we can with all the emotion around the game that we’ve just had.
“Hopefully we’re ready to play. Of course, we’ve had a split group, we’ve had quite small numbers. Only recently we’ve now got the group back together, and I think we’re focused on the next match.”
Will Saturday’s scenes help Newcastle United in the transfer market?
Newcastle’s summer transfer plans are currently taking shape in the background away from Howe, though he is set to play a more involved role in the coming weeks.
The Magpies will be looking to keep hold of key players such as Isak and Guimaraes this summer while also attracting top players to bolster their squad. Isak is set to enter contract talks with Newcastle in the summer with the hope of striking a new deal amid transfer interest.
Champions League qualification will be key to that, but Howe was also asked how big an impact the Carabao Cup win and subsequent celebrations could have on keeping key players and also attracting new ones.
“Yeah, I think it can only enhance that,” he said. “I think it’s very difficult to say whether it’ll have a tangible effect in the transfer market for us.
“But I think we’ve seen the power of Newcastle as a positive force globally. I’m sure the world’s looked at us, and whatever your opinion on how we reacted to the cup win, you can see the city is united.
“The football club is incredibly well-supported. There’s a connection that’s unique, and I think that only puts us in a really positive light.”
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