Eddie Howe coaching squeezes extra £75m from former Newcastle United outcasts
Joelinton, Miguel Almiron, Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy and Fabian Schar have proven the biggest winners since Eddie Howe took charge
It is almost two years since Eddie Howe arrived at a confidence-bereft club, hovering over the Premier League abyss and staring Championship football in the face. Time flies when you are having fun, eh?
An initial struggle resulted in the Toon boss winning just one of his first 10 games across all competitions. Reflecting on a time when Newcastle United were poor under Howe seems a lifetime ago, so much is the transformation witnessed since.
Supporters recognised the graft put in during those early days, with Howe arriving at the training ground at 6am - a habit he continues to this day. Footage of the Toon boss putting the players through their paces helped strike a chord with fans who realised that, if Newcastle were going down, they were going to do it fighting.
READ MORE: Newcastle United's 'incredibly emotional' unseen Sandro Tonali gesture after Crystal Palace win
READ MORE: Newcastle United 4-0 Crystal Palace player ratings: Jacob Murphy scoops a 10/10
Fast forward to the present and some could argue the Magpies are barely recognisable. However, given the familiarity of many first-team players, they could not be further from the truth…
The Saudi-backed regime have spent around £400million since deposing Mike Ashley in October 2021 but many of the star players you see today were Premier League also-rans before Howe came along.
At the weekend, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles partnered each other in defence, a duo who were trying to keep United up under Rafa Benitez and Steve Bruce. Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy and Callum Wilson were three of the four goalscorers against Crystal Palace and all predate Howe’s time at St James’ Park.
The 45-year-old’s coaching has filled a £75million void for the Magpies in the transfer market. In a landscape where Financial Fair Play is beginning to encroach on what Newcastle can do, Howe has been able to squeeze every drop of talent from his players.
The biggest winner is Joelinton, whose transfer valuation, according to transfermarkt.com, has skyrocketed from £13million to £36.5million. A move to Turkey seemed on the cards until Howe realised his potential as a ball-winning midfielder.
Miguel Almiron’s goal flurry in the past 15 months has doubled his value to a cool £28million. Under Bruce, the Paraguayan was unsure of his best position and, having arrived from the MLS, the jury remained out on whether he had the minerals for the Premier League.
It must be stated that transfermarkt analyses how much players are worth - a stark difference from what Newcastle would demand should a club become interested. Just £22million appears to undervalue Longstaff but that reflects a dramatic rise from the £11million he ranked at in November 2021.
Murphy has proven the most profitable Howe success story, with his valuation inflating by four. The winger arrived in 2017 following Premier League promotion and was a bit-part player under Benitez and Bruce.
A meagre £3.5million is all the analytical site valued him when Howe took charge but he is now worth a tidy £13million. When totalled up, the Newcastle manager has squeezed an extra £75million worth of talent out of players who were previously cast aside and on the brink of leaving the club.
Eddie Howe’s success stories
Valuation before Howe
Valuation after Howe
Joelinton
£13m
£36.5m
Willock
£19m
£33m
Almiron
£14m
£28m
Longstaff
£11m
£22m
Murphy
£3.5m
£13m
Schar
£6m
£9m