Dominic Scurr reflects on Eddie Howe's pre-match press conference ahead of Newcastle United's Premier League trip to Brighton on Sunday.
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00:01Hello everyone, back outside the Newcastle United media. It's an honour. A glorious Friday morning on Tyneside where we've been speaking to Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe ahead of the trip to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday.
00:17It's been a good week for Newcastle. They've moved back up to third in the Premier League and stayed there crucially with Nottingham Forest losing to Brentford on Thursday night. So it's all to play for. There's just two points separating Newcastle in third and Forest in sixth with four games left to play. So every game will be so important between now and the end of the season.
00:38And in Brighton, it's a boogie team for Newcastle, let's be honest. They haven't won at the Amex since that notorious, that infamous Mo Diame, Ayose Perez late double to win 2-1 back in 2017.
00:53They went on to win the championship that season and yeah, since then in the Premier League, the Amex not a happy hunting ground at all. They haven't won a game.
01:01They've struggled to pick up points, struggled to score goals. They lost 3-1 last season, 0-0 the season before.
01:07And Brighton, a team who've had Newcastle's number this season, played twice at St James' Park, in the FA Cup and the Premier League.
01:13And Brighton have won both times, although Newcastle will probably feel they've been hard done by on each occasion.
01:19The bat had Brighton, in all honesty, back at St James' Park earlier in the season in the Premier League and then in the FA Cup.
01:26I mean, they quite easily could have won that game. Obviously, Anthony Gordon had the sending off.
01:32Newcastle weren't great that day. Eddie Howe admitted it, but possibly 11 v 11.
01:38They had the goal, Fabian Scherr goal, potentially harshly disallowed or disallowed by VAR, which was in place for the first time in the competition for that game.
01:49So, yeah, it had been an interesting one. The meetings were bright.
01:53Not worked out in Newcastle's favour, certainly at the Amex.
01:57So, it'll be a big challenge for Eddie Howe and his side, particularly considering they'll be without Joe Linton once again.
02:03Joe Linton pulled up in training last Friday.
02:06Knee issue, a recurrence of the knee issue that kept him out between February and March.
02:11Almost a flare-up of that, still feeling it.
02:13He had been playing through the pain barrier, not quite at 100%, but still making an impact.
02:18You go back to his performance in the Carabao Cup final, where he was just magnificent.
02:23A real colossus in the midfield, but, yeah, he's going to be a miss against Ipswich.
02:30He didn't really feel it.
02:31Joe Willock came in and is expected to remain in between now and the end of the season,
02:35because Eddie Howe, providing an update on Joe Linton, said all likelihood is we won't see him again this season.
02:41The only factor that could change that is Joe Linton's determination to be back.
02:46Joe Linton's almost so keen and so passionate about wanting to get back, prove his fitness,
02:53almost go against medical advice to a degree.
02:56He's been for a scan, he's been to see a specialist this week, pretty much ruling him out for the rest of the season.
03:01But if Joe Linton feels all right in his own body and almost fit enough to play, then he could well play.
03:08Eddie Howe said he wouldn't completely rule it out, or wouldn't officially rule him out for the rest of the season,
03:14although that is likely to be the case.
03:17So, yeah, that's a big blow.
03:19On the fitness front as well, was asked about Jamal LaSalle's.
03:23Will he be back before the end of the season?
03:24Again, it's not pressing injury news as such.
03:28Jamal LaSalle's been out for the past 13 months with an ACL issue.
03:33But on the subject of injuries, yeah, Eddie Howe said there's a chance he could be back before the end of the season.
03:38But, again, another player who you're probably looking more towards the summer and pre-season after such a long timeout.
03:44Realistically, is he going to start any of the final four games, given the importance of them,
03:49given Sven Botman is now back from injury and has trained fully this week and is looking good.
03:55So, yeah, Newcastle in a decent position.
03:59What I would say to the injury situation, as big a blow as losing Joe Linton is,
04:04I mean, Sven Botman losing him for an extended amount of time, 11 weeks, I think it was, in total.
04:11Losing Lewis Hall, who was arguably one of Newcastle's best players of the season.
04:15Anthony Gordon hasn't started a game in two months since he was sent off against Brighton.
04:20Newcastle's form has barely wavered, really.
04:23They've always reacted well to these injury setbacks, certainly in recent months anyway.
04:28So, you can take some faith from that and some confidence from that, heading into the final four games.
04:36But, yeah, moving things on, Eddie Howe was also asked about transfers, looking ahead to the summer.
04:42Contract situations, uncertainty over Callum Wilson.
04:45Eddie Howe wouldn't address whether Callum Wilson would indeed sign a new deal or anything like that.
04:51He wouldn't commit to that, but he did stress that Callum Wilson still has an important role to play,
04:55though probably provided a bit of an excuse for Callum Wilson in terms of his impact on the side.
05:01He's only started one Premier League game this season.
05:04His only goal this season has come in the FA Cup.
05:06He's had limited impact on the pitch.
05:09Eddie Howe said Callum Wilson, at the moment, is almost going through a pre-season sort of situation,
05:13given Alexander Isak's form or almost guaranteed starter status.
05:19And Callum Wilson's coming on with 20 minutes here and there to try and make an impact
05:24when games are probably already gone or certainly working against Newcastle in terms of the momentum.
05:30So, Eddie Howe said Callum Wilson almost going through a pre-season,
05:34but it's difficult for him because in that it's such important games, competitive games in the Premier League.
05:41So, unable to find that sort of rhythm in it at 33, it's going to be hard for him.
05:46So, again, situation that will be addressed in the summer.
05:50Another situation that will be addressed in the summer, Eddie Howe was asked about Sean Longstaff.
05:54Where does his future lie?
05:56And Eddie Howe said, well, Sean Longstaff is contracted for next season.
06:00Newcastle triggered that extension for next season.
06:04And the future of Sean Longstaff will be dictated by himself in terms of whether he wants to remain part of Newcastle
06:13or potentially look at options elsewhere.
06:15There's been links with the likes of Everton, Leeds United, who will be newly promoted next season.
06:21So, big question marks over Sean Longstaff's future as well as Callum Wilson.
06:25So, that's one to keep an eye on for sure.
06:28And looking ahead in general to June in particular, where you go back 12 months or just less than 12 months,
06:35where June last summer for Newcastle was such an uncertain time.
06:40In the PSR situation, having to sell Yankouba Mintner, who they'll come up against on Sunday with Brighton,
06:47having to sell Elliot Anderson, three quiet transfer windows.
06:52It's going to be an interesting summer for Newcastle in general.
06:57And Eddie Howe actually pointed quite, I thought it was quite significant,
07:00where he was looking at, well, Newcastle's PSR situation is very different to last summer.
07:05Can they take advantage of some clubs who will be in difficult PSR situations as they were last summer
07:12and almost look for a potential deal and buy an asset where the club who are selling
07:20aren't really in a position of strength when it comes to negotiating?
07:24So, there's potential, certainly a hint, Eddie Howe didn't say any names or anything like that,
07:28and certainly a hint that Newcastle could look to exploit that PSR situation in the summer,
07:35given how they've turned things around through the sales of players like Miguel Almond.
07:41Lloyd Kelly still question marks over that, and then if that sale does go through,
07:45then it would indeed be for next year's PSR calculations.
07:48But Newcastle, as we understand it, in a healthy PSR situation heading into the summer,
07:55so could potentially spend some money in June and exploit or take advantage of,
08:01is probably a kind of way to put it, and that's how Eddie Howe put it,
08:04of some of their Premier League rivals' PSR situations,
08:06where they may be needing to sell some players, some key players as well,
08:10before that June 30th deadline.
08:12So, that was pretty much the gist of Eddie Howe's press conference.
08:17You can see all the reaction, fallout from that,
08:21and all the previews looking ahead to the Brighton game on Sunday,
08:25over on the Shields Gazette website, shieldsgazette.com,
08:28and of course, for myself, at Dom Sker on X.
08:32So, that was it.
08:33I'll be down at that next stadium on Sunday,
08:36where you can see all the fallout from that game as well,
08:39all the report reaction, and of course, my post-match reaction video as well.
08:43So, thanks for watching, and I'll see you on Sunday.
08:46Cheers.
08:47Cheers.
08:48Cheers.
08:49Cheers.
08:51Cheers.
09:06Cheers.
09:08Cheers.
09:10Cheers.
09:11Cheers.