Newcastle’s lack of goals was again exposed as they were beaten 1-0 by Brighton at St James’ Park, but Eddie Howe insists he will not make ‘snap decisions’ in the transfer market
Eddie Howe (Image: Getty)
Eddie Howe insists Newcastle’s lack of goals will not force him to make rash decisions in the January transfer market.
The Magpies failed to score in a Premier League game at St James’ Park for the first time since May last year as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Brighton with several chances going begging on Saturday.
Newcastle have managed just eight goals in as many league matches to date this season.
Howe spent much of the summer in an ultimately fruitless pursuit of Crystal Palace’s England defender Marc Guehi, but his efforts to add creativity to his squad also came to nothing and, with Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon out of sorts and Callum Wilson working his way back from injury, a cutting edge has been painfully absent.
However, asked if attacking reinforcements will be a priority in January, the head coach said: “I think we have to take a long-term strategic view looking at ages and contract lengths, positional need.”
“There’ll be no snap decisions based on a couple of games where we haven’t scored. Of course if that trend was to continue long term, then we’d look at that.”
“But there were attacking positions we were looking to strengthen in the creative areas, so I don’t think it was a one-dimensional transfer strategy. Of course we didn’t end up achieving success in those positions.”
Newcastle’s bluntness proved fatal at the weekend as a game in which they created more than enough chances to win slipped from their grasp.
They were utterly dominant for the opening 35 minutes, during which Isak squandered an opportunity he would have taken without a second invitation last season, and both he and Gordon, aided by some fine goalkeeping from Bart Verbruggen, were profligate throughout.
By contrast, 33-year-old Danny Welbeck, who was later carried off with a back injury but was able to fly home with the rest of the Seagulls squad, struck with Brighton’s first attempt as he benefitted from lax defending by Fabian Schar and Tino Livramento to score at St James’ for the first time in his career.
Even then, the Magpies continued to pepper Verbruggen’s goal, but without the menace to find a way past the Dutch international, and even Howe’s substitutes, so often in the recent past the spur for a late surge, proved ineffective.
He said: “I didn’t really like us in the last 20 minutes and we didn’t chase the game particularly well. That’s something we’ll look at.”
If Brighton, who ended the day sitting in fifth place in the table, rode their luck before the break, they were much more compact after it and might have added to their advantage late on with substitute Kaoru Mitoma twice going close to a second goal.