Newcastle United's owners 'can't wait to spend money' to make the club 'great' again but Eddie Howe will be able to use that ambition to motivate his players as they fight for their futures in the final weeks of the season.
That is the view of former West Ham and West Brom boss Slaven Bilic after Newcastle moved a step closer to safety following a 1-0 victory against Wolves on Friday night. Chris Wood, who was one of the first signings of this new era, scored the only goal of the game from the spot as the Magpies moved 10 points clear of the relegation zone with seven games to go.
It was the perfect response from Newcastle following a 5-1 mauling at Spurs just five days previously. Howe decided against making sweeping changes for the visit of Wolves and instead gave the bulk of these players the chance to make amends, which they duly did.
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A number of these players will be a part of Howe's plans going forward, but others face uncertain futures with just 40 days to go of the season and the Newcastle head coach warned last week that he was making 'assessments and judgements' every day. While Newcastle have no plans to sign global superstars like Neymar, the Magpies will again look to strengthen the squad in the summer, after bringing in Kieran Trippier, Wood, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Matt Targett last January, and Bilic felt that could prove a useful tool for Howe during the run-in.
"He's in a great position because the board is waiting," Bilic told Premier League Productions. "They can't wait to spend money to make a great Newcastle so Eddie can tell the players, 'Don't wait until the end of the season to knock on my door then and ask me what's my situation? Show me. Prove yourself now week in, week out for seven games. If you play good, I ain't maybe going to ask for Neymar!"
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