DARREN Eales believes Newcastle United will benefit from behind the scenes "alignment" in this summer's transfer window.
Paul Mitchell arrived three weeks into last summer's transfer window, and a difficult period followed in which the sporting director questioned Newcastle's previous strategy which led Eddie Howe to hit back and tell of his "pride" in the club's recruitment success stories.
It was a challenging summer on Tyneside, with the Magpies having been forced into a June dash to sell Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to ensure they complied with the Premier League's profit and sustainability regulations.
But having negotiated those obstacles, Newcastle are now in a "good place" ahead of the coming summer window, says Eales.
And although the chief executive described Newcastle's exact plans for the summer window as a "moving feast", he said the club will continue to "spend to the max", all while ensuring they remain in line with financial regulations.
And this summer will he helped by the fact Eales says everyone is on the same page behind the scenes.
"We're in a good place," he said.
"We're pleased with the business we did in January in terms of our transfer outgoings. Being quite open, that's something in the past that's been challenging for us in terms of making those player transfers out. That was good for us in terms of that window.
"Paul and his team have had a period of time now working with Eddie as well because, ultimately, it's about getting the players that Eddie wants in his position so there's real alignment in that respect so we're excited about the summer ahead."
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Eales added: “To be clear, like the whole way through, Eddie understands and knows that financial parameters we’ve got. I think Eddie is a unique as a manager, that he appreciates and understands we have got this PSR cap so he knows the club and the ownership are 100 per cent behind providing the maximum support that we can within the rules.
“We are all working to that PSR headroom so that is the reality. As we approach each window we look at out, okay every decision has a knock on effect and that is the reality.
“Think about it really as a salary cap. Literally every decision you make has a ramification and that is where Eddie is great because it’s collaborative. If we chose to renew contracts of players and keep key players here, that means there is going to be an impact in terms of what you have available elsewhere but Eddie knows that and understands it.
“From our perspective we are obviously super pleased we have got Eddie as our coach. We feel really good. We look forward with excitement.
“The reality is we’ve got a great coach, we have amazing players in our squad, we are growing our revenues and we have an ownership that is fully committed to to the long term so the future is bright, it’s just the nature of football that we have the ups and downs.
“We would all want a stronger squad. Everybody would want more players. Everyone would want no injuries but we have to deal with the realities and that’s why I gave Eddie great credit because he understands that because he is part of the process.
“He does a really good job of managing that as part of being the head coach of Newcastle United. We are delighted he is with us and we hope he is going to be with us for a very long time."
