Why Eddie Howe felt the need to dig his heels in over Kieran Trippier
Scott Wilson
5 – 6 minutes
ONE of the few criticisms levelled at Eddie Howe during his time at Newcastle United is that he has been too loyal to some of the players that have served him so well. Letting those players go has never come easily to the Magpies head coach. Sometimes, it pays to dig your heels in.
In January 2024, Bayern Munich had two bids rejected for Kieran Trippier, the second of which would have seen Newcastle bank an initial £12.8m for the ageing full-back. Last summer, Trippier was the subject of sustained interest from a number of clubs in Saudi Arabia. On both occasions, Howe insisted he did not want to lose a player whose very best days might be behind him, but who remains a reliable option on the pitch and a massive presence off it.
Selling Trippier at any point in the last 18 months would have made financial sense and improved Newcastle’s position in relation to the Premier League’s PSR rules. Yet Howe always knew there would be days like Saturday. Playing at right-back, with an injury to Lewis Hall having forced the repositioning of Tino Livramento to the opposite flank, Trippier rolled back the years as he was his side’s standout player against Ipswich.
For the first half-hour or so, when Ipswich had 11 players on the field, Trippier successfully shut down the threat of opponent Jack Clarke, just as he had at the Stadium of Light when the winger was still playing for Sunderland in the FA Cup third round. Then, when the dismissal of Ben Johnson reduced Newcastle’s opponents to ten men, Trippier switched to attacking mode, surging down the right flank, camping himself in the Ipswich half and finishing with two assists as he set up headed goals for both Dan Burn and Will Osula.
Trippier turns 35 in September and will enter the final year of his current contract in June. There will no doubt be further speculation over his future in the summer, but Howe will once resist calls to move him on. Whether Newcastle find themselves back in the Champions League next season or not, there will always be times when a wise old head is welcome.
“It goes without saying that we want to keep our best players and add to the squad, if possible,” said Howe. “That’s a big thing for us.
“I don’t think there are many better players in his position in the Premier League, and I think that’s really testament to his physical ability. To do what he does at his age is not easy. He’s playing in one of the hardest positions to execute, but his cross for thesecond goal just sums up his ability really.
“He’s a difference maker for us. He brings obvious qualities on the ball, but his leadership skills and experience help us in so many different ways.”
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With Howe back in the dugout after his recovery from pneumonia, this was a day when Newcastle moved on from their no-show at Villa Park and successfully got their Champions League push back on track. With games against Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal preceding a final-day meeting with Everton, the route back to Europe’s top table is still not easy, but the Magpies are back in third position with a two-point gap to sixth position restored. Champions League qualification remains theirs to lose.
Saturday’s game undoubtedly turned on the 37th-minute dismissal of Johnson, who was perhaps unfortunate to be booked for a dive as he evaded contact with Burn, but who then lost his head as he tugged back Alexander Isak just seven minutes on from his initial infringement.
Isak opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, slotting home from the penalty spot after a VAR review finally spotted Julio Enciso’s tug on Jacob Murphy, and Newcastle made their numerical advantage count in the second half as they became completely dominant.
The Magpies finished with a possession statistic of 78 per cent, the highest recorded by any side in the Premier League this season, with Ipswich failing to record a single effort on target all game as their relegation was confirmed.
Burn claimed Newcastle’s second goal, opening his Premier League account for the season as he headed home Trippier’s cross from just about on the goalline, before Osula scored his first Premier League goal of any description as he headed home from Trippier’s corner.
“I think you have to be able to bounce back,” said Howe, who admitted he was still not back to his physical best following his illness. “It needs to be one of your core strengths. You’re going to have disappointing days, poor performances and results that you don’t want.
“The key is to make sure that doesn’t happen again on a regular basis, and the ability to bounce back and show the mental resolve that’s needed to respond is one of our best characteristics, I think. Now, we’ve got four games left and we can’t really afford any errors.”
