Eddie Howe knows what Newcastle United need in 2023 and the Magpies are already busy planning for both the January and the summer transfer windows to try and deliver it. In Howe's own words, there is 'a lot of work ahead' and it is easy to see why.
Not only do Newcastle's recruitment team need to scout players, record data and compile lists; the club also have to ensure the right individuals are targeted and bringing in good characters as well as good footballers is the most crucial part of recruitment for Howe. It is why renewed moves for summer targets like James Maddison cannot necessarily be ruled out yet given the small pool of quality players Newcastle are looking at who have also passed the club's character tests.
It goes without saying that Newcastle would not have made multiple bids for Maddison a few months ago if there were any red flags when the Magpies carried out extensive background checks on the Leicester City star. The same goes for the signings that Newcastle actually made last summer; Howe even went as far as to describe Sven Botman and Nick Pope as the 'right characters', Matt Targett as an 'outstanding person' and Alexander Isak as someone who has had 'a lot thrown at him for a young player'.
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Had it been any different, Howe would not have signed the quartet because the Newcastle boss is desperate not to disrupt the spirit and harmony in the dressing room, and wants individuals who think of the team first and themselves second. Selfish players, as a result, have been as good as discounted by Newcastle - no matter how talented they are.
That has not come as a surprise to David Webb, who previously worked with Howe as Bournemouth's head of recruitment, and knows his character-centred approach better than most.
"That's always going to be Eddie's MO," Webb told ChronicleLive. "From our time at Bournemouth, the character side was very big.
"It's not the quantity of players. You could probably tell that when Bournemouth went to the Premier League. There wasn't a massive influx of players like you see at some clubs. They kept a lot of the players that helped them get promoted and Eddie just added what he felt were the right quality and character fits for the club.
"He's doing the same at Newcastle. The way he recruits or how he likes the guys to recruit and the things they have to include in the profiles will never change - no matter which club he is at.
"Hence why Newcastle probably won't sign volumes of players, but you can guarantee the work and the due diligence that goes into the players that they do sign from a football perspective and data perspective. Most importantly, they will try and find out as much as they can about the human being as well to see if he can fit into that environment and give himself every chance of success."
This strategy has been all the more important since Newcastle's takeover to ensure players want to join the club for the right reasons. Newcastle also cannot afford to make any wrong moves that could have disastrous consequences when it comes to Financial Fair Play and what the club can spend in future windows. You can see, then, why Newcastle have had to have clear alignment on this approach at all levels between the club's owners, sporting director Dan Ashworth, head of recruitment Steve Nickson, head of technical scouting Andy Howe and, of course, head coach Eddie Howe and assistant Jason Tindall.
New signings do not necessarily have to be squeaky clean, but they must have good values and buy into the work ethic and togetherness already established at the club. However, finding out more about that off the field personality is not necessarily as straightforward as it seems.
While it is easy to gauge what a player is like on the field, when watching him live or on a video, there are no guarantees about what he is like off it. Just how will a new recruit interact with their team-mates when they arrive? Will he slot in seamlessly?
Howe, as a result, leaves no stone unturned to ensure Newcastle do not recruit a player who potentially harms the group. Several questions are posed: What is his living situation? What is his family situation? What are his internal and external motivations?
In short, Howe needs to know 'every single detail about the person' as recruitment consultant Anton Robinson previously told ChronicleLive. To do so, according to Webb, involves speaking to a host of figures who have already worked with the said individual.
"You try and find out as much as you can from trusted sources," Webb added. "Maybe previous coaches, previous people that have worked with him, people who you may think have known him who have followed his progression throughout his career.
"Anything you can find around the family background and, at Premier League level, it's even more in-depth with the cultural and religious side. Little things like that can help make the player more adaptable in that environment. Having Andy [Howe] there with Eddie, he obviously knows how he works really well. You can see that he's got that feel for it."
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