Eddie Howe says Newcastle have “massively over-achieved” this season and will have to cope with soaring expectations among the success-starved fanbase.
The Magpies secured a return to the Champions League after a 20-year absence when Monday’s 0-0 draw with Leicester guaranteed a top-four finish in the Premier League.
That represents a significant upgrade on the more modest ambitions Newcastle had at the start of the campaign.
“The dynamic will have changed for us,” Howe told reporters on Friday.
“I think we have massively over-achieved this year for where we were at the start of the season and to keep over-achieving — and that’s what we’re going to have to do to match the expectation — is going to be our biggest challenge.”
Newcastle have already spent more than £250 million ($309 million) since the club’s Saudi-backed owners took charge in October 2021.
Now they have qualified for the Champions League, Newcastle will be attractive to a better calibre of player…
Source: Vanguard Newspaper
