Newcastle United have not only become a better side under Eddie Howe, but a bigger one, too. Literally.
In fact, according to the measurements Newcastle and the Premier League have listed on their websites, only two of Howe's nine senior signings to date have been less than six foot tall: Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes. Howe likes working with technical players and hard-working, selfless characters but, clearly, the Newcastle boss has wanted to make sure his side can stand up to the rigours of the top-flight as well.
"You need a mix of attributes," Howe told reporters. "I don't think you necessarily want to be too reliant on one thing. Yes, we've signed players of size. I think that's so important in this league. Every opponent we have will have similar so you need to be able to mix that physically.
