EDDIE HOWE will adopt a siege mentality as he attempts to steer Newcastle to a second League Cup final in three seasons despite seeing his squad depleted by unwanted sales.

The Magpies allowed defender Lloyd Kelly to leave St James’ Park for Juventus on deadline day in a move which could eventually bring in around £20million on top of the £11m they banked in return for Miguel Almiron’s departure for Atlanta United last week.

As he prepares for tonight’s second-leg semi-final clash with Arsenal on Tyneside, Howe, who also sold Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh during the summer to avoid a Premier League points deduction for failing to comply with profitability and sustainability rules, is calling for a fresh unity in a smaller squad, but he believes he still has a high-quality group of players.