Eddie Howe has challenged Newcastle’s owners to end the club’s “limbo” by declaring whether they intend building a new training ground and stadium and to show their ambition by revamping the academy facilities.

Although Howe is “99.9%” certain he will no longer be Newcastle’s manager by the time any training ground or stadium project is completed, he believes the release of a blueprint could prove “gamechanging”.

“You look at the training ground, the stadium, and that part of the club is in limbo at the moment,” said Newcastle’s manager, aware the Saudi Arabian ownership remains undecided on whether to redevelop St James’ Park or opt for a new-build and has not identified a preferred site for a long-promised training complex capable of housing the men’s, women’s and academy teams. “It would be a big step forward to get clarity.

“It would take everything into the future in a really positive way; it would also have a gamechanging effect on everything, including the academy.”

Howe, whose 11th-placed team travel to Manchester United on Boxing Day, suggested Newcastle’s academy was being let down by arguably less than stellar facilities. “Brilliant work goes on down there,” he said. “If we can move everything forward in terms of facilities that would be a gamechanger. It’s not that I believe facilities are the be-all and end-all but they are a great way of setting standards higher and showing your ambition in a clear and strong way.”

If Howe struggled to hide his frustration about the lack of final decisions on training ground and stadium projects that could respectively take five and 10 years to complete, he also recognised the need for thoroughness.

“The decisions have to be right,” he said. “If extra time is needed to make the right decisions, then take it. You need the right site and designs. I would rather it was correct than rushed.

“I know there’s a 99.9% chance that I’m not going to see either completed in my [present] position but I’m still passionate about making sure they’re there for future generations of Newcastle supporters and players.”

Regardless of how long he remains in charge, Howe has left a legacy after choreographing last spring’s Carabao Cup triumph. “The last 12 months have been unbelievable for us because we finally won a trophy, and when I came here that was the big aim,” he said. “And it’s a great experience to be in the Champions League again.”

Howe admitted, though, that he sometimes struggles for instant job satisfaction. “The word ‘enjoy’ is one I battle with, because, when I go home every day, very rarely will I go: ‘I really enjoyed that,’” he said. “It’s a difficult one because I love coaching. I love being on the grass with the players.

“But there’s a lot of the job that sort of gets in the way of that. So while I must ultimately love it and enjoy it, that’s on a more probably subconscious level. A lot of the day-to-day emotions are stress and anxiety.”

Nonetheless, Howe agreed 2025 has been the best year of his managerial career. “It has to be. And I have to remind myself of that sometimes. When you feel a bit battered and bruised as you do as a football manager at times, you sometimes have to take a step back and see things for what they are and not what people tell you they are.

“It’s been a great year, 2025, and one that in the future I will look back on and really appreciate even more than I do right now. But the challenge never stops and you want to make 2026 even better and that is the tricky part. “