- Newcastle set to stick with current striker trio next season, Howe says
- Howe’s comments cause concern among fans
- Woltemade mention speaks volumes
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe spoke in today’s press conference about the possibility of signing strikers this summer. But his response caused more problems than it solved and gained an unsavoury reaction.
Howe was asked about his stance on the forward areas after a season of struggle in front of goal for the Magpies. The Newcastle gaffer was rather strong in his response but didn’t provide the answers needed to cool tensions.
New signings Woltemade and Wissa have struggled this season, with William Osula having taken over the starting spot in recent weeks.
What did Howe say?
Howe was asked whether the centre-forward position would be an area the club looks to strengthen this summer.
The Newcastle boss said, “Certainly not at the moment because, in terms of striker numbers, we’ve got healthy numbers in that position.
“It’s been a challenge for us, trying to find the right balance and a way to continually score goals and create the amount of chances we want to. I don’t think we are quite there yet; I think we have work to do in that area.
“Obviously Yoane has had fitness struggles; Osula has really grown late into the season, and I think he’s done really well in recent games. Of course Anthony’s played there and Nick’s played there and done well early in the season – the players are there; we’ve just got to bring it all together.”
Howe’s comments anger fans
Howe’s comments haven’t exactly gone down well with the fanbase on social media. Many have voiced their opinions about the clear reluctance to go after new striker signings this summer.
The consensus among the fanbase appears to be that Howe should, in fact, be looking to sign a new striker this summer and offload at least one of the other three currently on the books.
Spending such large sums of money on two players who have struggled so much has not exactly endeared fans to the idea of watching the same thing unfold again next season.
There is also a theme among the responses to Howe’s comments suggesting that the reasons for the goalscoring failures this season are down to his own incompetence in adapting the system rather than the players’ themselves.
‘Woltemade has played there too’
One of the biggest gripes in regard to Howe’s incompetence was how he brushed over Woltemade when mentioning the strikers at his disposal.
The German has been a frustrated figure for the majority of the season after being dropped following five goals in his first eight games across all competitions for the club.
Howe mentioned the German last when talking about his forward options, even behind the likely departing Anthony Gordon.
Whether it was meant in the manner it was perceived or not, ‘and Nick has played there too’ almost suggested that it is not the plan for the German to be played up front in any capacity going forward.
Alternatively, it could be a sign of things to come this summer, as Woltemade is reportedly attracting interest from the likes of Atletico Madrid. The 24-year-old has never really endeared himself to Howe for whatever reason and is widely considered the player most likely to see the exit door if Howe gets his way.
