- Newcastle comfortably beat West Ham
- Players still clearly playing for Eddie Howe
- Magpies’ display a good sign for the future
Newcastle United continue their recent run of good form under Eddie Howe as they secured a 3-1 Premier League victory against West Ham United at St James’ Park.
In 2026, the Magpies have struggled across the board due to issues on and off the pitch. Last month, they suffered four Premier League defeats in a row, which led to speculation surrounding the manager’s future.
However, Howe is set to remain at Newcastle United next season after holding crunch talks with the hierarchy.
And last night’s game against West Ham is proof that the hierarchy have made the right call.
Newcastle United players still playing for Eddie Howe
Anthony Gordon has been heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich and was once again left out of the starting XI to face West Ham.
In his absence, the likes of Nick Woltemade, Harvey Barnes and Jacob Ramsey played in attack with Willam Osula leading the line.
And it’s safe to say Newcastle United produced arguably one of their best performances of the season.
They were on it right from the get-go as they pressed higher up the pitch and won most of the second balls.
Read More: Kieran Trippier just said what Newcastle United fans have long known about Bruno Guimaraes
The Magpies aren’t really playing for anything at this point of the season. In stark contrast, West Ham are fighting for Premier League safety, so the general consensus before the game was that they would show the greater sense of urgency.
However, Newcastle raced off the blocks and secured a two-goal lead at halftime thanks to goals from Woltemade and Osula, with Barnes and Ramsey also heavily involved in both passages of play.
West Ham got better as the game went on, but the fact of the matter is that the Magpies still saw off the game comfortably.
The players seem happy despite enduring a tough season, which is a clear sign that they haven’t lost faith in Howe.
Eddie Howe confirms Newcastle United’s transfer plans
While his players did their part on the pitch, Howe’s comments after the game were another sign that Newcastle are well and truly planning for next season with him on the touchline.
Read More: Newcastle United Player Ratings: ‘Superb’ 10/10 and ‘engine’ 9 as West Ham beaten
He spoke about the upcoming transfer window and how it could influence the trajectory of the club, especially with key players like Gordon expected to move on.
“It’s a big summer for us, a huge summer for the football club,” said Howe via BBC.
“The results of how you finish the season give hope for the next and that is what we are trying to do. You never know what can happen.
“It does feel it has the potential to be that summer for us, but regardless of big change or not, we have to come out of that transfer window stronger.”
Aside from Gordon, Kieran Trippier will leave the club and it appears likely that Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock will be offloaded by Newcastle.
Regardless of what happens, Howe looks like he will be the manager next season.
And if last night’s game is anything to go by, he well and truly has his players on his side as they aim to recover from an underwhelming season across all competitions.
