Matt Ritchie sensed it.
He knew what could happen if Howe “got hold of them” and “had some firepower”, after previously working with the manager at Bournemouth.
“When I first arrived, I would talk about Eddie Howe and Bournemouth,” said the 36-year-old winger, who played for Newcastle between 2016 and 2024 and now at Reading.
“The lads would say, ‘come on, drop it, he can’t have been that good’. But I’d tell them there was no stone left unturned.
“I was so pleased that they got to sample it. Until you actually see it and feel it, you don’t truly believe you have never worked like that before. It’s the attention to detail, the preparation and the desire to improve – all the things that make Newcastle what they are now.”
It has not all been plain sailing, of course, since Howe’s appointment or the takeover a few weeks prior.
Newcastle, currently 15th in the Premier League, missed out on a number of targets during a draining summer window and lost striker Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a British record £125m.
The club do not have a sporting director after Paul Mitchell left in June, following less than a year in the post.
And the wait continues for announcements concerning the future of St James’ Park and construction of a new state-of-the-art training ground.
But this is a side that ended a 70-year drought to win a major domestic trophy back in March after lifting the Carabao Cup by beating Liverpool.
They have qualified for the Champions League in two of the past three seasons – recording their biggest win in the competition against Union Saint-Gilloise this week – and only Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have picked up more points in the Premier League since Howe took charge.
“A lot has changed just in terms of the general feeling of the club,” added Howe. “Of course, the team has changed. Naturally, teams progress and change over time.
“The way we’re working behind the scenes as a football club is totally different but, also, if you look around the training ground here, there have been big improvements. That’s what the club needed and still needs.
“We need more, but things will change and gradually evolve over time. It’s exciting times for the football club.”
