Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills claims Eddie Howe could come under pressure at Newcastle United if they don't hit the ground running next season. The Magpies have spent around £180million since the takeover at St. James' Park as the new owners look to improve the squad and fulfil their long-term ambitions.
Howe helped drag Newcastle to safety when their Premier League status looked certain to come to an end. Their mid-season revival saw them finish just seven points behind the European places despite not winning a game until December.
However, Mills claims that resurgence will now come with added pressure following their recruitment and their impressive end to the season. Speaking to talkSPORT, Mills said: "I think a lot of outside people in the media think, the way that they've done their business, the way that Eddie Howe has transformed the club and the business that they've now done, they've got a very, very good squad and they probably should finish in the top eight.
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"I don't necessarily agree with that but I think that is the expectation that is where they need to be. So, if they don't get off to a good start for whatever reason, he all of a sudden will come under a bit of pressure.
"They'll say 'You did great last year.' There was almost no pressure. You know what just go for it, go and play football and get out of the situation. It's a different type of pressure [in a relegation battle]. You can play with freedom because we all wrote them off at Christmas.
"We said 'No, they're not getting out of that, no chance.' Suddenly the expectation is to perform week in, week out and start winning matches and that's a completely different aspect of pressure.
"That affects teams in different ways. If they do get off to an indifferent start and they're in the bottom half of the table, there will be one or two mutterings and grumblings. Is Eddie Howe the right man to take them forward?"
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