Arsene Wenger hails Eddie Howe’s ‘exceptional job’ and outlines Newcastle’s ‘next step’

Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger has hailed Eddie Howe for his ‘exceptional job’ at Newcastle United so far while also discussing the next steps for the Magpies to challenge for silverware

Arsene Wenger has praised Eddie Howe on his ‘exceptional job’ so far with Newcastle United and advised him on his ‘next step’ with the Magpies. The former Bournemouth boss is approaching his two-year anniversary at St James’ Park, having already led the team from a relegation battle to competing in the Champions League.

Newcastle tasted defeat in their first domestic cup final appearance for more than two decades last year, but have avenged their defeat to Manchester United en route to reaching the quarter-final stage again. United’s squad is already being pushed to the limit by the new challenge of competing on four fronts, but the team currently sit sixth in the Premier League following a difficult start to the season.

Wenger feels Howe learnt a lot from his time with Bournemouth, and in particular the relegation season which saw his long association with the Cherries come to an end. The Arsenal legend hailed the head coach’s impact so far in the North East, and feels the natural progression is to add more ‘top players’ and cement their place in the division’s top four.

Wenger told beIN SPORTS: “I would say first of all that he did a good job at Bournemouth. After, of course he went through a very difficult period which he certainly learned a lot from. He took the challenge to go to Newcastle.

“I thought at the time he took the challenge, it was an interesting challenge for a young manager. Why? Because you want to go to a club where you have potential who hasn’t achieved anything for a long time and has huge potential.

“At the start, it was difficult but the fact he had this experience at Bournemouth helped him a lot. When the new ownership came in, I think he did very well and slowly he has built the team with balance, desire, passion for the game.

“He has been consistent with his results, and overall I must say in the last two years he has done an exceptional job. They’ve just beaten Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 in the Champions League having not played in the Champions League for a very long time.

“Now, you consider them to be on the fringe of the top four. The next step for them will be to be consistent in the top four, and after to challenge for the Premier League.

“To do that, they’ll certainly need some more top players who have the same mentality. The challenge for him will be to keep that mentality he has brought, and the culture of performance he has instilled in the team, and add more quality without losing that.”