The Magpies boss will start feeling the heat soon if he doesn't produce something tangible at St James' Park, with expectations at an all-time high
Newcastle are one game away from lifting their first trophy in almost 56 years. There has been no silverware to celebrate on Tyneside since Newcastle's triumph in the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (later known as the UEFA Cup/Europa League), but that barren run will end if Eddie Howe can mastermind Liverpool's downfall in the 2025 Carabao Cup final.
Howe is also vying to become the first English manager to win a major trophy since Harry Redknapp led unfancied Portsmouth to FA Cup glory in 2008. Newcastle have re-emerged as a formidable Premier League side on Howe's watch, and victory at Wembley would cap his largely impressive four-year spell at the club.
But it's not the be-all and end-all for Newcastle. Liverpool are heavy favourites given their status as Premier League champions-elect, so there is not a huge amount of pressure on Howe's team. Getting back into the Champions League is the Magpies' main priority, and they're in a strong position with 10 games left in the league.
The bottom line is: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), who completed a £305 million ($395m) takeover at Newcastle in October 2021, have far bigger aspirations than winning the Carabao Cup. Howe probably won't get away with another season of only fighting for the top four and the least prestigious of all three domestic trophies on offer to Premier League clubs.
A win on Sunday will go some way to getting rid of Newcastle's 'nearly-men' tag, but it won't guarantee Howe's long-term future by any means. This club is aiming for the very top, and Howe still has a lot of convincing to do if he is to remain at the wheel for the next stage of the project.
Getty Images Sport'We believe in ourselves'
Newcastle will feel they are better equipped to win the Carabao Cup now than two years ago, when they suffered a heart-breaking 2-0 final defeat to Manchester United. Howe's men appeared to be overawed by the occasion on that day, but will know exactly what to expect this time around, and won't fear Liverpool after dispatching Arsenal so handily in the semi-finals.
The Magpies produced two outstanding performances to beat the Gunnners 2-0 home and away, and will have a real chance of upsetting the odds if they reach the same level against Liverpool. Howe has, however, also been dealt an unfortunate hand heading into the final.
Star winger Anthony Gordon is suspended after seeing red in Newcastle's FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Brighton, Sven Botman is facing eight weeks out with a knee injury, and Lewis Hall has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a serious foot issue. It is unquestionably a nightmare scenario for Newcastle to have lost two key defenders and their most dangerous wideman for the biggest game of the season so far.
Despite that triple blow, Howe guided his team to a vital 1-0 win at West Ham on Monday that kept them firmly in the Champions League qualification race, and he issued an emotional rallying cry after the game: "A positive has to come from it for us to have any chance of being successful in the next few weeks. There is no question of us feeling sorry for ourselves. We believe in ourselves and we believe in the group. We believe in how we play and how we work. I believe in the characters of the players. I believe we’ve got a really special team and a special group of people. But we need to come together."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportHas any progress been made?
That strength of character is what makes Howe such a good manager. He keeps a cool head in the face of adversity, and his unflappable attitude filters down to the rest of the squad.
The ex-Bournemouth boss has created a real unity in the dressing room, and his tactical flexibility has ensured Newcastle are capable of competing against anyone in one-off games. But the argument could be made that the Magpies are no better off now than they were at this stage in Howe's first full season.
That campaign ended with Newcastle qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2003, and Howe was then given the license to spend £153m ($69m) in the summer transfer window. After such a large investment in the squad, a trophy and another top-four finish was the minimum goal.
Unfortunately, Newcastle fell well short of that last term, slumping to seventh in the Premier League while crashing out of the Champions League at the group stage. To make matters worse, marquee signing Sandro Tonali was hit with a 10-month football ban for breaching betting rules in Italy as Newcastle faced allegations of failing to do their due diligence before forking out £55m ($71m) on the AC Milan midfielder.
Newcastle have recovered well this season, boosted greatly by Tonali's return, but they're still way off the title pace. Howe has to significantly bridge the gap, starting from next season, or else his position in the dugout will come under serious threat.
Getty Images Sport'Project 2030'
According to, Newcastle are all set to launch 'Project 2030': the second phase in PIF's bid to turn the club into genuine Premier League and Champions League contenders. PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan believes five years is a realistic timeframe for that ambitious goal, with Newcastle planning to bolster all areas of the squad in the summer window.
Players edging towards their mid-30s, such as Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson and Fabian Schar, will likely be moved on, while other long-term servants like Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff could also be sacrificed to make room for new signings. Newcastle have already made moves to make sure they don't risk any breach of the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules, having sold Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh for a combined £65m ($84m) last summer, and Miguel Almiron and Lloyd Kelly in January for £28m ($36m).
Sporting director Paul Mitchell has been tasked with bringing down the average age of the squad, and Newcastle will be in a strong position when the market reopens. 'Project 2030' extends far beyond just matters on the pitch, though.
Newcastle are also hoping to build a new £1.5 billion ($1.9bn), 69,000-capacity stadium adjacent to St James' Park. A firm decision has not been made yet, and their back-up plan is to upgrade the current ground to a 60,000 seater for around £800m ($1bn), but the aim is to have one of the construction projects completed by the early 2030s.
All these steps are being taken to reduce the revenue gulf between Newcastle and the traditional 'Big Six', which remains huge despite the Magpies posting a record increase to £320m ($415m) in 2024.
Getty Images SportNewcastle's 'gatekeeper'?
The question is: will Howe be the frontman for 'Project 2030'? Some world-class managers have been linked with his increasingly attractive post over the past year, including Jose Mourinho, Massimiliano Allegri and Andoni Iraola.
Newcastle have the financial means to bring in the very best, but at the moment, Al-Rumayyan is happy with Howe. claims that the PIF chairman has faith in Howe's ability to transform the Magpies into serial trophy winners, despite the 47-year-old's lack of experience in that area.
Howe took Bournemouth from the brink of relegation to the National League all the way to the Premier League, and kept them in the top flight for five seasons, but only picked up one Championship title across his two spells at the club. Newcastle have undoubtedly improved on Howe's watch, too, having been locked in a relegation battle when he took over from Steve Bruce in October 2021, but no one really knows if he can take them to the next level.
Indeed, former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan made headlines for giving his opinion on Howe's situation on this week, describing the English coach as a "gatekeeper" who will eventually be cast aside by the Newcastle bigwigs. If the Magpies run out of steam down the finishing straight this season and start the next one badly, It's easy to imagine Jordan's prediction coming true.