EXCLUSIVE. Warren Barton: Eddie Howe's statue in Newcastle will be even bigger than Robson's and Shearer's

The legendary Newcastle United defender Warren Barton gave an exclusive interview to a Dailysports journalist. Barton, who played over 150 official matches for the club, expressed his admiration for Eddie Howe's work as the head coach of the "Magpies" and believes that he could become one of the greatest figures in the club's history.

What the interview covers

• On his first day on the job, he arrived at the base at 6:30 in the morning and left only at 11 in the evening
• Eddie Howe is a continuation of Bobby Robson and Kevin Keegan
• Howe realized that the fans and the club are the most important in the city
• Eddie Howe deserves a monument at the entrance to St James' Park

Eddie Howe joined Newcastle in November 2021. Under Howe, the "Magpies" returned to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in two decades. This season, they won their first trophy in 56 years — the English League Cup.

Howe missed the match against Manchester United last weekend due to pneumonia. However, the team responded correctly to their coach's absence and gifted him a stunning 4-1 victory. The "Magpies" are already fourth in the Premier League table and are close to another UEFA Champions League qualification.

"He is their assistant [Sir Bobby Robson and Kevin Keegan]," said Warren Barton in an exclusive interview with Dailysports. "That's what he is. He's not quite there yet, but he's edging his way up there. The first day he took over, he got there at 6:30am, and he didn't leave until 11 at night.

He could quite easily have put his head down and made out that he was on the phone when someone was driving back to the hotel, but he stopped, he signed some autographs, and from that day, he won me over because he got it."

• Also read: EXCLUSIVE. Newcastle legend: I see no reason why Alexander Isak would want to leave

Eddie Howe is already in the top 10 Newcastle United head coaches by the number of matches managed. By the end of 2025, he could potentially climb even higher in the club's managerial rankings.

"He's had a couple of blips that have got difficult for him, and people are asking questions," Barton noted. "Since Sir Bobby [Robson], they've had a lot of different coaches there, but Eddie gets it. He understands the club and how lucky he is to be in charge of a great football club, so I am delighted for him because he's a good guy and a good person, and someone like Sir Bobby Robson would be looking down, and pat him on the back and say: Well done, son."

Sir Bobby Robson and Kevin Keegan are icons for the current Newcastle. However, Barton is confident that Eddie Howe could one day stand alongside them.

"For me, Sir Bobby is that next level up, but he ain't far behind. He is their assistant, and he might be one to groom and take over, so he's a fantastic person.

I like his style and the way he conducts himself. He is articulate, and he knows the game because he's played and being around it.

But he understands Newcastle, which is a special football club and a unique football club, and he gets it- not everybody gets it.

People have tried to understand it, but he understands that the fans and the football club are the most important thing in that city, and without the fans, you haven't got a football club, and without the club doing well, the city is not the same.

He and the ownership have been able to marry that all together, and as you saw, 300,000 people turned up to the Carabao Cup parade, which tells you a little bit about the football club."

Warren Barton believes that Eddie Howe has already earned his statue outside St James' Park.

"I don't think he's finished yet," Barton admitted in a comment to Dailysports. "So I would wait. He might be knocking one or two of the others out of the way, he ain't finished yet, so when it is all done and dusted, he will get a statue - he fully deserves it.

He has been able to merge a city together and make sure everyone is behind him.

Speaking to people now, who I have known for years, are so happy and are so thankful to the ownership, and Eddie, in particular, so he does deserve a statue, there is no doubt about that.

Bobby and Alan have one; KK could have one because he got the football club going again, and he got the city believing.

Eddie is a good guy, but I don't think he's finished yet, so he might get a bigger statue than the rest of them."

Eddie Howe has already won a trophy with Newcastle and brought the UEFA Champions League anthem back to the city. What lies ahead for this tandem? Perhaps it's one of the most intriguing questions, the answer to which we will only know with time.