Callum Wilson believes qualifying for the Europa League this season could be 'disappointing' for Newcastle United as it would mean Champions League football was so 'close'. The Magpies currently occupy a top-four spot after earning a sensational away victory at Tottenham in their last outing.
Eddie Howe's side have still lost just once so far this season, and the start to the campaign has led many to speculate whether European football next term should now be the target. The Magpies head coach has been reluctant to publicly outline any overall goals for the campaign, although the likes of Miguel Almiron and Sven Botman have recently admitted Europe is now on the players' minds.
Newcastle have enjoyed a meteoric rise under Howe in the last year, having been dismissed by many as relegation favourites at this stage of last season. Wilson believes qualifying for any European competition would be a huge boost for the Magpies, but admits a place in next season's Europa League could come with a tinge of regret.
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He told BBC's The Footballer's Football Podcast: "I would take any European football, I'll play anything! But Champions League is miles better than Europa.
"I'm almost like if you're to get into Europa, I'll be disappointed because it means that Champions League was close. It's almost like you get into Europa because you missed out on the Champions League.
"If it's going to be any European football, I'd want it to be the Champions League. The season is going well, but it's early days."
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer was full of praise for the Magpies following their 2-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. However, the club's all-time record goalscorer does not expect Howe's side to retain their current top-four spot come the end of the season, although he would 'love to be proved wrong'.
Wilson was quizzed on Newcastle's ambitions for the remainder of the campaign, and whether European football next season is now on the agenda. The current number nine was also asked whether he shared Shearer's view, and the former Bournemouth striker insists the focus has to remain on taking it one game at a time.
Wilson said: "It's been a good collection of points over the last couple of weeks, and we're sitting in a good place in the league at the minute. But it's still early days, we've got a winter break coming up and almost a restart of the season.
"Teams that are not performing now are not still going to be not performing in January. They're going to pick up and teams are going to fall away. Don't get me wrong, as a player looking at fourth in the league is good.
"Ultimately it is so early, it's not even worth contemplating really. European football for this club would be massive, and at the moment our squad is probably not big enough for a European and Premier League campaign.
"It's about bringing in the right people, and the right competition in the right places without disrupting the core we've already got there. You want to add around that and get stronger in each position, so you can rotate for Premier League and European games.
"We've got a winter break coming up, and from that we'll evaluate and see where we're at. We'll go again in January, but we're not getting ahead of ourselves, that's for sure. It's a long, long season."
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