HOWE IS PREPARED FOR THE EUROPEAN CHALLENGE AS NEWCASTLE TARGETS THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.

If Newcastle wants to meet the demands of a prospective Champions League campaign, Eddie Howe feels the team needs to have more talent and depth in its squad next season.

Howe’s team destroyed Brighton 4-1 on Thursday, ensuring that they will at least qualify for the Europa League.

However, a lucrative Champions League participation is within reach for the third-placed Magpies.

If Liverpool wins one of its final two games—against Leicester on Monday or Chelsea on May 28—it will be guaranteed to qualify.

Since taking over in 2021, Newcastle manager Howe has invested more than £250 million ($310 million) in rejuvenating his team, and he is aware that additional spending on new acquisitions will be necessary to compete in the Premier League and Europe the following season.

“We must determine that. The importance of rotation will increase if your team is strong. Utilizing the entire squad and rotating players will be crucial, he told reporters on Friday.

We haven’t felt the need to consistently do that because we have only participated in one competition—the League Cup run, of course. We have rotated to some extent, but perhaps not as much as we might need to do next year.

“The squad needs to be strong enough if you’re going to do that, so if you put out two XIs, they’re of equal strength.”

Howe’s present roster may be tested on Monday night, when his midfield resources will be severely depleted following an exhausting match against the Seagulls.

With two games left, the Magpies worry Joe Willock’s hamstring injury, which forced him to be helped off the field, will ruin his season. Bruno Guimaraes has been dealing with an ongoing ankle issue for some time.

To be honest, after this I’ll head right to the physio room to check on everyone. We have a few worries,” Howe added.

“I just hope there aren’t any serious effects,” the player said after giving everything he had physically to the game yesterday.