Eddie Howe brutally honest when asked about more signings after win over Atalanta

A nice positive for Eddie Howe on Friday night, the first home friendly of pre-season and a clean sheet and good win over Atalanta.

The Serie A side are good level opposition and some of their challenges summed up how seriously they were taking the game.

However, Newcastle United recovering from a nervy start to be the better team deservedly win, although it took last season’s first choice defence to help ensure Nick Pope’s goal remained intact.

Plenty of talking points thrown up by the match itself but no surprise that after the final whistle, the media were keen to ask about the possibility of any attacking signings happening before the Nottingham Forest match in eight days time…

“Never say never but as the days tick by…it is looking more and more unlikely.

“I probably wouldn’t have hoped to be in this  situation (not having made any attacking signings by this point).

“However, the most important thing is that we get the right players, not the speed that we get them in.”

Eddie Howe has already said that the intension is to bring in at least one or two attacking signings and if not for PSG, then Hugo Ekitike could / would have been here already.

Three signings were swiftly brought in (Pope, Botman, Targett) in time for pre-season but July has been a barren month, with Ekitike choosing PSG and as Eddie Howe says, ideally he would have liked to already have at least one attacking signing as well, but no breakthrough as yet.

Eddie Howe on beating Atalanta:

“I was very pleased with the game and the high quality of it.

“We picked strong opponents, we didn’t want easy wins.

“We wanted a test and Atalanta have a top quality team, so tactically and technically we needed to be good.”

Eddie Howe asked about Elliot Anderson situation and whether he will now be kept at the club, not go out on loan the coming season:

“A very good question.

“I will sit here and answer the questions but I can tell you, no decision will be made on (whether to do) a loan until the end of the transfer window.

“As things stand it looks like he is going to stay.

“He did well for the penalty tonight and could have scored.

“In pre-season he has just got better and better.

“I knew his quality and last year we couldn’t give him he opportunity.

“Now he has returned a better player from Bristol Rovers.”

Newcastle 1 Atalanta 0

Goals

Newcastle

Wood 39 pen

Atalanta

Newcastle team v Atalanta:

Pope, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Targett, Sean Longstaff, Anderson, Almiron, Murphy (Matty Longstaff 82) , Fraser (Bondswell 90) Wood (Stephenson 90)

Unused substitutes:

Gillespie, De Bolle, Munoz, Turner-Cooke, A.Murphy, Miley

(Match Report : Newcastle 1 Atalanta 0 – Boost for Eddie Howe and plenty positives – Read HERE)

(Newcastle 1 Atalanta 0 – Instant NUFC fan / writer reaction to Friday’s victory – Read HERE)