With star striker Alexander Isak demanding he be sold to Liverpool, Newcastle have missed out on a raft of major transfer targets so far this campaign.
Speaking to BBC Radio, Howe stated: "It’s been a stressful summer. (It was) not ideal going in to it in the way that we did with no CEO and no sporting director and it has become an unusual dynamic for us. We’ve just tried to make the best of the situation.
"We’ve been linked with a lot of players as we always are, we’ve landed some and missed some others. We are very pleased with the players that we have signed and I think the squad is in a better place now for the couple of new additions we have made.
"I think it just breeds confidence within the squad that we are going to be strong enough and resilient enough for a long campaign."