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Eddie Howe is now ready to do something he’s only done five times at Newcastle to secure £30m transfer
Eddie Howe is a man who typically sticks to his principles at Newcastle United.
The man born in Amersham has mostly been wedded to his 4-3-3 formation since replacing Steve Bruce at St James’ Park, a system which has served both him and the Magpies well, having won the League Cup and also qualified for the UEFA Champions League twice.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 3 |  Man CityManchester City | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 72 | 44 | 28 | 71 |
| 4 |  ChelseaChelsea | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 64 | 43 | 21 | 69 |
| 5 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 68 | 47 | 21 | 66 |
| 6 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 58 | 51 | 7 | 66 |
Therefore, Eddie Howe has little reason to change this formation, but he is now willing to alter his style in order to win the race to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, who has a £30m release clause active after relegation.
Eddie Howe proposes two-man striker system to Liam Delap
A story from now states that Newcastle United have made a proposal to the Ipswich Town No.19 after his impressive 2024/25 campaign, putting forward the idea of him playing alongside Alexander Isak next term, rather than compete against the Swede for a start.
It is said that the Magpies want to ‘evolve’ their system ahead of another season in the UEFA Champions League, and should the proposal fail to entice Delap, Joao Pedro of Brighton – who Chelsea like – is also of serious interest to Newcastle.
Joao with an ice cold finish to open the scoring at Southampton! ✨ 🇧🇷
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC)
Should Howe actually tweak his tactics to lure a new striker to Tyneside, it would be a rarity.
Transfermarkt shows that the Newcastle boss has only used a two-man strike force on five occasions since replacing Bruce in November 2021, with four of those instances coming in his first five games as he tried to find a successful style.
The most recent use of such a style came against Burnley in May 2024, with Newcastle winning 4-1 at Turf Moor.
Eddie Howe has already shared why he is so keen to bring Liam Delap to Newcastle United
Managers do not tend to speak about opposition players in the media, so it spoke volumes when the former Bournemouth boss eulogised over the 22-year-old in April.
Liam Delap's second strike against Aston Villa is your September Goal of the Month. ⚽️🏆
— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown)
Ahead of Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Ipswich, Howe hailed Delap, saying: “He’s a pivotal player for them. There is no denying that. He’s had a very good season.
“He’s got big strengths. Very strong, powerful runner. Knows where the goal is. He’s had a really good season. He’s always had a lot of potential. You could see from the very early times we’ve played against him previously what a threat he can be.”
The England U21 international scored 12 goals in 37 Premier League appearances for a struggling Ipswich side last season – more than the likes of Cody Gakpo, Kai Havertz, Antoine Semenyo and Dominic Solanke – so you can certainly see why he appeals to Newcastle.