Eddie Howe ‘grateful’ for Arsene Wenger’s glowing praise of Newcastle performance
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has said he is ‘grateful’ for the praise he has received from former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who described his performance at Newcastle as ‘exceptional’.
The Magpies boss has made an impressive start to his second full season in charge of the club, with Newcastle sitting sixth and just six points off the top four. In addition, they have reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup having knocked out Manchester City and Manchester United, while recording a famous 4-1 home win against Paris Saint-Germain in their second game back in European football.
Such achievements have earned the 45-year-old plenty of praise, including from the legendary Frenchman, with Howe bowled over by the compliments from one of his managerial idols.
‘I’m very grateful for those comments,’ he said speaking at a press conference. ‘Arsene was one of the managers who inspired me. The Invincible team was some of the best football I’ve ever seen. I can’t respect him anymore.’
Newcastle vs Arsenal
This weekend sees Howe’s side host Arsenal, the club where Wenger spent the majority of his managerial career. Newcastle have won just once in their last eleven games against the north London clubs, but a big home win would see them close the gap on Mikel Arteta’s side to just four points.
And just as Arteta has done with Wenger’s former side, the 74-year-old said the next step for Howe and Newcastle is to become a regular fixture at the top end of the Premier League table.
‘When the new ownership came in, Howe did very well and slowly he has built a balanced team with desire and passion for the game and has been consistent with his results,’ he told BeIN sports.
‘Overall in the last two years, he has done an exceptional job. They are on the fringe of the top four; the next step for them will be to be consistent in the top four and then to challenge for the title.
‘To do that they need some more top players with the same mentality. The challenge for him will be to keep adding quality players whilst keeping that same mentality and culture of performance that he has instilled already.’
Conclusion
Eddie Howe has earned plenty of praise this season for his impressive work at Newcastle United, not least from Arsene Wenger who described his performance as ‘exceptional’. This weekend sees Howe’s side host Arsenal, and a big home win would see them close the gap on Mikel Arteta’s side to just four points.
Wenger believes that the next step for Howe and Newcastle is to become a regular fixture at the top end of the Premier League table, and that this will require adding some more top players with the same mentality as those already at the club.