Newcastle United's £410m investment only phase one of exciting top four tilt as Eddie Howe makes confession

Eddie Howe has warned that Newcastle United will need a "quick pace" to keep up with their ambitious Premier League rivals.

In what has been a hotly contested 2023/24 campaign, Arsenal have strengthened their grip after returning to the top four for the second successive season after seven campaigns outside the coveted positions. Aston Villa have also charged into the Champions League places while Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are also eyeing a tilt at the top six next season.

Palace have finished the season strongly under Oliver Glasner while Howe's old club Bournemouth are building a new £35million training ground. And Howe knows next season will be as competitive as ever to gain a slot in the top four of the Premier League.

Newcastle have spent over £400million on players since the takeover and pumped in an additional £10m to improve the training ground facility at Benton. But another dive into the transfer market will be required this month and the need to improve both St James' Park and day to day facilities will also be needed if Newcastle are to stay in with a chance of catching the big boys and landing some silverware.

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Howe agreed that it won't be easy just to waltz back into the top four of the Premier League and told Chronicle Live: "No it's not. And I think that is a good point made (on ambitious Bournemouth) because every club has its ambitions and aims.

"Some clubs are growing faster than others. There is a lot of money in the Premier League and it gives you the opportunity. You have FFP which is trying to control and level out the spending so other clubs will improve. So we have to keep apace.

"You make a good point about Bournemouth's training ground and the advancements at other clubs. We have to continue ours at a really quick pace to stay ahead of the game."

But before Newcastle can even contemplate next season's difficult challenge of rejoining the Champions League teams, Howe is focused on at least gaining a top six place and European status. The head coach said: "It’s a massive fixture for both teams.

"It's coming to the end of a long season, we are desperate to do well in games and we are desperate to finish as high up as possible. We know the European competition is there but it can still be a long way away to get the result we want."

Newcastle face a Man United side in disarray with the Red Devils in danger of their lowest ever Premier League finish since the top flight was revamped in 1992. But Howe refused to underestimate Erik ten Hag's side and said: "All of that makes them a very dangerous opponent. They’ve got world-class players.

"With our preparations, I will speak to the players about what we need to do and how we need to play. I will make clear what our mindset needs to be, going into the game. We can’t underestimate the challenge in front of us. That would be foolish.

"That would counteract everything that we need to be in this game. Just trust that I’ll get the message to the players that we need to."