‘He’s unbelievable’: Howe thinks Newcastle’s January target is a warrior

Follow us on Google Discover

Steve Cook alone might not have stopped Leicester City cruising to a win over Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.

But this old-school, body-on-the-line, kick-his-granny-for-three-points sort of centre-back certainly wouldn’t have taken a four-goal drubbing lying down. 

“Steve Cook returning was huge for us,” Eddie Howe told the Daily Echo in 2019.

On that April afternoon, Cook captained Bournemouth to a 5-0 thrashing of Brighton just days after leaving hospital following an infection that, the defender admitted, could have ended his career. 

“His leadership, mentality and experience was just what the group needed,” Howe added.

“From being a professional footballer one minute to not being able to walk and climb your stairs the next, can be quite destabilising. But I think he’s an unbelievable character when the chips are down. 

“He hadn’t done a lot of training for Saturday’s game but is someone you can always rely on to give his best and inspire other people. Him coming back into the group was a big boost for the lads.” 

It is that kind of warrior spirit which endeared Howe to the long-serving stopper.

Cook may not be the most technically gifted of centre-halves but, if you were stuck in the trenches with bullets raining down, there’s no-one you’d rather have alongside you.

Could Steve Cook reunite with Eddie Howe at Newcastle United?

The Sun reported over the weekend that Howe had identified Cook as a potential mid-season addition to his struggling Newcastle United side.

Now, few would have predicted – when those Saudi Arabian billionaires completed their long-awaited takeover – that a veteran centre-half from the Championship would be the first new arrival of the Mohammed bin Salman era. 

Cook will be a free agent in the summer and would therefore come a lot cheaper than the likes of James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, Nathan Ake or even Bournemouth teammate Lloyd Kelly.

But what Cook lacks in glamour, he more than makes up for in grit.

“His leadership, mentality and experience was just what the group needed,” Howe said in 2019.  

Howe could be forgiven for thinking the same about a Newcastle side that remains 19^th in the Premier League, conceding more goals (34) than anyone in the division. 

The Nabil Fekirs, Ousmane Dembeles and Abdou Diallos can wait. Survival is Newcastle’s top priority these days and Cook could help lead them out of the mire through sheer force of will.