Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has made a big admission about West Ham signing stars Kalvin Phillips and Callum Wilson.
West Ham and Newcastle United headed the battle to sign Kalvin Phillips on loan in the January transfer window.
This time last week it was reported that the Hammers and Magpies would find out who has won the race for Phillips this week after claims of extortionate loan fees and clauses were denied.
And so it has proved after West Ham announced the loan capture of Phillips from Man City for the rest of the season.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe had previously admitted his interest in Phillips.
Howe’s big admission about West Ham signing stars
But we revealed on Hammers News that West Ham had the edge over Newcastle for the 28-year-old as a result of his soft spot for David Moyes.
West Ham and Newcastle are sharing some column inches of late with the east Londoners also being linked with Magpies striker Callum Wilson.
According to a report from The Sun, West Ham are on ‘red alert’ after being informed that their nemesis striker is available before next week’s deadline.
Interestingly, Wilson raved about the Hammers last year, describing the Irons as a club that everyone wants to play for.
Now Newcastle boss Howe has made a big admission about West Ham signing stars Phillips and Wilson.
‘We had to step away… out of my control’
Speaking in his latest press conference, as covered by Sky Sports, Howe conceded Newcastle could not compete financially with West Ham to sign Phillips.
And he has also said that while he does not want Wilson to leave amid those Hammers links, it could well be out of his control.
“We had to step away from that (Phillips) one due to financial reasons…” Howe said.
“There’s been a lot of speculation regarding Callum and I’ve seen some of it. Probably not all of it, but I think a lot of it has been unfounded.
“From our side, Callum is a huge part of what we’re doing…
“But some things are out of my control and, of course, the club is acting within its long-term interests and it has to. I understand that and I’m fully supportive of it.”
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