Newcastle United hand ‘perfect fit’ manager Eddie Howe new long-term deal

NEWCASTLE: Newcastle United’s owners have declared Eddie Howe as ‘the perfect fit’ after the Magpies’ head coach put pen to paper on a new long-term deal. And Howe himself has his sights set on success at St. James’ Park with trophies in his eyeline.

On Friday, United confirmed the former Bournemouth and Burnley boss, appointed to the job last November, has extended his deal at the club, taking it past the end date of his previous contract, which was due to run out in the summer of 2024. The news comes on the eve of Newcastle’s first Premier League game of the season against Nottingham Forest on Tyneside on Saturday, a level United looked set to miss out on after Howe took over a team winless in 12 games. But a remarkable run at the back end of last season, recording six wins in the last eight, saw Howe’s side pull away from relegation trouble — still a very real prospect in February — and finish 11th in the Premier League table.

And the 44-year-old has been rewarded with a new deal as a result. A club statement confirming the news read: “Newcastle United are delighted to confirm that head coach Eddie Howe has signed a new long-term contract at St. James’ Park.

Howe joined the Magpies in November 2021, shortly after a takeover of the club by an investment group comprising PIF, PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media. “The team was still pursuing its first Premier League win of the season at the time of Howe’s arrival, however he guided United to 11th place during the 2021/22 campaign, finishing 14 points clear of the bottom three and just two points off the top ten. “An unbeaten run in February 2022 also saw Howe officially voted the Barclays Manager of the Month, earning him the award for the fourth time in his