Eddie Howe insists any deal for Marc Guehi or any other summer signing “have to be right” for the club’s “long-term” plans and believes Fabian Schar should not have been sent off in yesterday’s 1-0 win over Southampton.
Asked about our pursuit of Marc Guehi after reports of a fourth rejected bid on Friday, Howe said: “Of course, we’re looking in the transfer market. We’ve got a period of time left, and we’ll see what we can do.
“Could we do something in the market? Possibly, but conditions have to be right for us. As I’ve said all along, we can’t do something that goes against the long-term good of the football club, so we’ll try to make the right decision.”
Howe then discussed Schar’s red card just before the half hour mark, feeling it didn’t warrant a sending off but got the crowd into the game: “The big question is do you want a red card for that. Does Fabi’s action alone warrant a red card? I’m not sure. Contact isn’t clear and it was very minimal, but it’s something we’ll learn from.”
“In a strange way for us, it (red card) was a turning point negatively in terms of control but a turning point in terms of getting the crowd in the game. They felt an injustice. Without that support it’s probably a different result”
The boss also praised Bruno Guimaraes and Emil Krafth after the match, with the latter coming on after Schar’s dismissal. On Bruno, he added: “Defensively he covered every blade of grass. He was immense today.”
Speaking about Krafth, Howe said: “Emil came on in a difficult game, and I thought he was magnificent for us. Emil came on in a difficult game, and I thought he was magnificent for us.”
While there has been talk of Newcastle feeling confident about doing a deal with Crystal Palace, they have now seen four offers rejected as sporting director Paul Mitchell considers potential alternatives.
Guehi is said to be open to the idea of a move to St James’ Park but the club have so far been unable to put a package together that would tempt Palace into selling.
Their chairman Steve Parish, after all, confirmed the Eagles were chasing “superstar money” for the England defender and Newcastle have not yet been able to reach that valuation.
About The Author
