After leading Newcastle to Champions League football at the end of his first full season in charge, Eddie Howe is plotting a path to long-term success there.
The 45-year-old will spend the summer bolstering a squad that has already been improved by spending more than £250 million in preparation for the upcoming difficulties with the club's owners and sports director Dan Ashworth.
In doing so, he will have to make a number of difficult choices, but not ones pertaining to his personal predicament.
Howe responded, "Very much so; there is no other thought in my mind," when asked if St James' Park is where he will spend the rest of his days.Newcastle is where I want to be for as long as I'm desired.
Howe has been frequently mentioned in connection with the England position in recent years, and his early success on Tyneside following his excellent work at Bournemouth has helped to build his reputation.
He is not a man to rest on his laurels, though, and he is aware that juggling the demands of domestic and European football will make the road ahead even more challenging.
"Playing in Europe can be tougher," he remarked. I don't want to come out as being in any way pessimistic or negative heading into the upcoming season. We need to enter the upcoming season with optimism and a vision of what might be.
Since Monday night's 0-0 draw with Leicester, which guaranteed only a third Champions League campaign for the club and removed pressure off Sunday's trip to Chelsea, Tyneside has been awash with joy.
Howe is focused on making a name for himself among Europe's top, but he has no intention of neglecting the Premier League, which is his league's main source of income.
"I view the Premier League as your first aim, the cornerstone to your season, really," he said. "So we won't be going away from all eyes on the Premier League, all eyes on making sure we start as well as we can, and all eyes on trying to be as consistent as we can.
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