Eddie Howe has left Newcastle after losing control of transfers and is set to be replaced by the German coach Matthias Jaissle, who is in charge of the Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli.
Although the timing of Howe’s abrupt departure following almost five years in charge at St James’ Park is unexpected, his position had been uncertain for some time. He is understood to have told Newcastle’s Saudi Arabian owners he wanted to leave more than a fortnight ago and the parting is said to be “amicable”.
Sources have suggested the 48-year-old told directors he was utterly drained and wanted to take a break from football following a transformative Tyneside tenure that saw Newcastle win the League Cup in 2025 and twice qualify for the Champions League.
In recent months Howe has become disillusioned after seeing his previously strong power-base and ability to dictate transfer policy diminished significantly. Already this summer Ross Wilson, the third sporting director of his managerial tenure, has presided over the sale of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali to Barcelona and Tottenham respectively. A year ago the team’s key striker Alexander Isak departed for Liverpool.
Quick GuideHowe’s highs and lows at NewcastleShow
2021-22: The firefighter
After taking over from Steve Bruce in November 2021, Eddie Howe gets strong backing in the January transfer window and guides Newcastle to an 11th-place finish. A run of six straight wins at home sees the Magpies become the first team in Premier League history to avoid relegation after failing to win any of their first 14 games.
2022-23: Return to Europe
Alexander Isak arrives for big money in the summer, but it is mostly existing players like Callum Wilson and Miguel Almirón who power Howe’s side to the League Cup final, which ends in defeat to Manchester United. Newcastle respond well, earning a fourth-place finish to qualify for the Champions League.
2023-24: Injuries bite
Howe’s training methods are called into doubt as Newcastle finish bottom of their Champions League group and struggle with injuries all season. They also lose £55m signing Sandro Tonali to a betting ban. A late run earns seventh spot but European hopes are dashed as Manchester United stun City in the FA Cup final.
2024-25: League Cup triumph
A brilliant, Dan Burn-inspired win over Liverpool at Wembley sees Howe lift the League Cup (pictured) and finally end Newcastle’s long trophy drought. With Isak banging in 23 Premier League goals, the Toon secure a fifth-place finish, which is good enough to earn Champions League qualification once again.
2025-26: The ghost of Isak
A summer-long saga over the sale of Isak to Liverpool scuppers plans for Howe’s fourth full season in charge. The fans turn on wantaway Anthony Gordon midway through a campaign that is all but ended by a humiliating 7-2 defeat at Barcelona in March. Howe’s final five months in charge feature 14 defeats across all competitions as Newcastle slump to 12th in the Premier League. Tom Bassam
Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA
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Not that Howe gave any indication of the events about to unfold when he spoke to reporters following Wednesday night’s 4-1 pre season friendly defeat at Bristol City. “Every day as Newcastle manager is a great day for me,” he said. “I absolutely love the football club and that will never change. There has been a lot of change at the football club and potentially more to come. [But] I think there’s always reasons to be optimistic. I believe great things are possible every season. I see no reason for it be any different this year.”On ThursdayYesterday morning the Newcastle hierarchy’s negotiations with Jaissle were said to be at an advanced stage and the club’s players had a day off interrupted by news that that there would be a change of manager. Given that Al-Ahli are also owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Jaissle’s split from his club is unlikely to prove problematic.
The 38-year-old had a brief playing career as a defender with Hoffenheim and has been in charge of Al-Ahli since 2023, presiding over 90 wins, 25 draws and 23 defeats. Along the way he has won a Saudi Super Cup and two Asian Champions Leagues. At RB Salzburg he won the Austrian Cup.
Although a disappointing 12th placed Premier League finish last season left some Newcastle fans calling for Howe’s dismissal, the former Bournemouth manager appeared to have convinced PIF to offer him another chance during a high level summit meeting at a Northumberland country house hotel in April. He is understood to have reiterated his commitment to the job after returning from holiday in June but subsequently became disenchanted by the events of a turbulent summer.
Quite apart from the exits of Gordon and Tonali it has featured considerable doubt surrounding the future of the Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes who is coveted by Arsenal. At Bristol City on Wednesday night, Howe admitted he had “lost control” of transfers and did not know whether Guimaraes would board the team’s flight to South east Spain ahead of a training Camp at La Manga on Friday.
While Guimaraes is understood to have told Newcastle he wants to join Arsenal this summer, Howe had developed increasing reservations about a new, PIF approved, policy of signing largely young players with high resale potential, priced, broadly, in the £20m to £40m bracket. With Newcastle operating under a Uefa settlement agreement, Wilson believes it is the best way to remain within football’s spending rules.
Eddie Howe oversaw a 4-1 friendly defeat to Bristol City on Wednesday, in what proved to be his final game in charge. Photograph: David Davies/PA
So far this summer the sporting director has recruited four promising yet inexperienced players aged 20 or under in Ewen Jaouen, Bazoumana Toure, Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur. Howe feared expectations raised earlier this year when his chief executive David Hopkinson claimed that by 2030 he wanted Newcastle to “be in the conversation” about the identity of the best clubs in the world. The outgoing manager told friends things “no longer felt right.”
Although Howe acquired a number of critics as results, increasingly, disappointed last season, he will long be remembered with affection and gratitude at St James’ Park. After succeeding Steve Bruce as manager in November 2021 he led Newcastle to two Carabao Cup finals and in winning the second – against Liverpool – last year secured the club’s first significant domestic silverware for 70 years.
With his assistant, Jason Tindall, also expected to leave, the squad are likely to be placed under the caretaker charge of first team coach, Graeme Jones, for the flight to La Manga.
The club hope that Jaissle will soon join them. With the former Nottingham Forest manager Vitor Pereira poised to replace him at Al-Ahli, the expectations is that the German will take the helm well before Newcastle’s training camp concludes with a pre-season friendly at Valencia on Saturday 8 August.
Alan Shearer has been taken aback by the change’s timeline. “I’m very, very surprised,” said the club’s former captain and manager. “It’s strange timing with three weeks to go until the new season. I don’t know what’s gone on but I’m led to believe it was Eddie’s decision to leave. He did a wonderful job so it’s a huge thank you to Eddie.”