LONDON – Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has said that his team will need more quality and depth in their squad next season if they are to cope with the demands of a potential Champions League campaign.

Howe’s side are guaranteed to at least reach the Europa League after thrashing Brighton & Hove Albion 4-1 on Thursday, while the third-placed Magpies also have a lucrative Champions League berth within their grasp.

They will be certain of qualifying for Europe’s elite club competition if they win one of their last two games against Leicester City on Monday or Chelsea on May 28.

Howe, backed by the club’s Saudi owners, has spent over £250 million (S$418.6 million) to revitalise his squad since taking charge in 2021 and he knows that further investment in new signings will be required to compete in the Premier League and Europe next term.

“We need to figure that out. If you have a strong squad, rotation will be important. Rotation is going to be important, utilising the whole squad is going to be important,” he said on Friday.

“We haven’t felt the necessity to do that on a consistent basis because we’ve been in one competition – of course, we had the League Cup run. We have rotated to a degree, but maybe not in the numbers that we might need to next year.

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

The strength of Howe’s current squad could be put to the test on Monday evening, with his midfield resources stretched severely in the aftermath of an energy-sapping clash with the Seagulls.

Joe Willock was helped from the pitch in some discomfort with a hamstring injury which the Magpies fear will end his season with two games remaining, while midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has been nursing a persistent ankle problem in recent months.

“Today I’ll be going straight to the physio room, to be honest, after this, to see how everybody is. We’ve got a few concerns,” Howe said. “I just hope there’s no serious effects.”

Leicester are fighting relegation in 19th place and Foxes boss Dean Smith has called on his players to be united as they battle for survival.

“They’re not all going to be bosom buddies and that’s not been the case at any club I’ve been at, where the players have all been friends,” he said. “But what you have to be is the best teammate you can.” AFP