Newcastle exits 'elephant in the room' update emerges ahead of Carabao Cup final

17/02/2025 21:08

Eddie Howe has an “elephant in the room” concerning player exits ahead of the Carabao Cup final between Newcastle United and Liverpool, according to the Daily Mail.

While the Magpies are sitting seventh in the Premier League table, three points off the top four, a spot in Europe could be claimed by beating Liverpool to the Carabao Cup trophy on Sunday 16 March.

However, this would only land them a spot in the Europa League rather than the prestigious Champions League, which could land Howe and his team in trouble at the end of the season.

The Newcastle squad has several big-name stars currently, such as Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes, who could all look for new clubs if the worst were to happen.

Newcastle United to prepare for big-name exits without Champions League

Although the Magpies are just three points behind fourth-place Man City, the likes of Chelsea, Bournemouth, Fulham and Aston Villa are all fighting to finish as high as possible.

Journalist Craig Hope has suggested, via the Daily Mail [17 February], that Newcastle failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League could mark a “natural page-turn” in the careers of the likes of Isak, Gordon and Guimaraes.

Isak, for example, has already been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool while Guimaraes has been linked with a Newcastle exit to Man City over the last couple of seasons.

Eddie Howe needs Europe to secure Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes

Football Insider verdict

There is really no other option for Howe, other than qualifying for football’s most prestigious club competition.

With the number of exciting stars currently within the ranks, all of them will be desperate to prove themselves on one of the biggest stages, which just cannot happen without qualification to the Champions League.

Of course, some might be happy with a spell in the Europa League, especially if they can lift the trophy at the end of the next season, but there could be some difficult conversations to be had in the summer.

Losing any of the aforementioned trio would be a massive blow for Howe and his team as they look to create a new era at St James’ Park. It is tough to see how they would cope without them.

The post Newcastle exits 'elephant in the room' update emerges ahead of Carabao Cup final appeared first on Football Insider.