Eddie Howe has insisted Newcastle United’s revival is not all down to Saudi transfer cash.
The United boss revived the club after taking charge in November, including spending £94m on five new players in January. But Howe has hit back at suggestions that transfer cash alone has seen them climb to Premier League safety.
Newcastle were the biggest spenders in Europe and landed Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, and Chris Wood, plus Matt Targett on loan. They blew some of their summer budget in spending so much to avoid the drop.
Howe said: “The easy thing is to talk about money. It is not what has got us here. January helped massively, and the money helped the team, and the players who came in made a huge difference. But I don’t think it was the reason we did very well.
“You look at the St James’ Park atmosphere again, a crowd in a place where they are proud of the team, and seeing a team giving everything to try and win a game. It has been great to see and experience. It has been electric and the crowd has helped us get points. A key part of the future is to try and keep that dynamic as strong as it is now.
“I want the players to get the credit for their performances. The team has come together and fought for every point and I don’t think money gives you that.”
Howe wants Callum Wilson, who is in line for his first start since December, to stay fit for the whole of next season and get 15-20 goals.
He said: "That's the hope. It is very difficult to make judgements or statements on a player's fitness. The game is so unpredictable. But Callum has looked very, very good since he's come back from his injury.
"Callum lives to score goals. It is part of his fabric and has always been that way. Having known the player for a long, long time, the way he trains, games.
“His whole mindset is about "How can I score?" And if he doesn't he is hugely disappointed in himself And that is what you need in a goalscorer, you need that mindset. He certainly has not lost that from what I've seen."
“He has looked really sharp physically so we're very pleased. Sometimes you see players come back from injury and you're thinking it is going to take him a while to get to where he needs to be but with Callum this time I think he looks very sharp."
