‘No disrespect’: Merson urges Newcastle to forget Howe and pay ‘£30m’ for 61-year-old

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Paul Merson has urged Newcastle United to pay ‘£30 million’ for Everton boss Rafa Benitez instead of Eddie Howe, as he told Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports (06/11/21 at 1:25 pm).

The Sky pundit stated ‘no disrespect’ to the incoming Newcastle boss, but the fans won’t be happy with his appointment, but they would be in agreement if it was Benitez.

Howe was in attendance on Saturday evening as Newcastle locked horns with Brighton in the Premier League – it finished 1-1, with late drama, including the opposition goalkeeper, Robert Sanchez, seeing red for his last-ditch foul on Callum Wilson.

Nonetheless, Howe was sitting in the stands, alongside Amanda Staveley, and now he has the biggest test of his managerial career awaiting him.

Even though Howe was a free-agent, he wasn’t snapped up by those in the St James’ Park boardroom straightaway, which suggests that he wasn’t the first choice.

But given the tank full of oil money Newcastle have at their disposal, Merson thinks the Saudi-led owners should have used that to bring Benitez back to the club, instead of securing Howe’s talents.

“They have got a load of money to spend,” said Merson. “We know that. They are wealthy.

“Go and pay £30 million for Benitez. If you are going to go and buy a player for £40 million, £50 million or £60 million, then go and buy a manager that will 100% keep the fans happy.

“The fans won’t be happy with that appointment. That’s no disrespect to Eddie Howe.

“And if you get Benitez in, then you have won already.”

If there are Newcastle supporters that are against the Howe capture or underwhelmed at his soon-to-be appointment, then they need to look at the positives.

He is an upgrade on Steve Bruce, he plays attacking football and likes to coach out on the field himself.

The man tasked to score Newcastle’s goals – Wilson – thrived under his tenure at Bournemouth, alongside Ryan Fraser and Matt Ritchie.

Then, he does have the experience of knowing what it’s like to stand on the touchline in the Premier League because he did it for several years at Bournemouth.