Eddie Howe's 'emotional' words to Newcastle players away from cameras as transfer plans step up

A rollercoaster campaign has finally come to an end for Newcastle United although you suspect the 2,350 Geordies in the away end at Turf Moor wished it could continue. Newcastle, after all, signed off with a 2-1 win against Burnley, a result which sent the Clarets down, and only Liverpool, Man City and Spurs have picked up more points in 2022 than the in-form Magpies.

A season that started with Mike Ashley as owner, Steve Bruce as head coach and Jacob Murphy and Matt Ritchie playing as converted wing-backs ended with hope of a bright future for Newcastle under Eddie Howe. Newcastle's new owners will comply with the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules, of course, but the black-and-whites are set to show more ambition in the coming months than they Ashley had in previous summer windows combined.

One of Eddie Howe's priorities is to bring in more firepower, but Callum Wilson offered a timely reminder on Sunday that the club's top scorer will have a big part to play next season. As well as breaking the deadlock from the spot, on 20 minutes, Wilson scored what proved to be a crucial second goal with a well-taken finish on the hour mark.

Maxwel Cornet did pull one back for Burnley, to set up a nervy finish, but the visitors managed to hang on to finish the season in 11th place and send Burnley down after relegation rivals Leeds beat Brentford. Ending the season with a win was the perfect way to sign off for Newcastle, but it soon dawned on the players that this might be the last time they share a dressing room together as a number of stalwarts could move on this summer.

"It was quite an emotional moment actually," Howe told reporters after being asked what he said after the game. "Just a big thank you from me to