Eddie Howe has reportedly left his role as Newcastle United boss just weeks before the new Premier League season gets underway. Howe is revered on Tyneside for delivering Newcastle’s first trophy in 70 years, but the Englishman will walk away from his post amid a disruptive summer at the North East outfit.
It’s reported by The Athletic that Matthias Jaissle of Al Ahli is the leading candidate to replace Howe, who had decided to stay at St. James’ Park following the conclusion of the 2025/26 season. The former Bournemouth manager held talks with the club’s hierarchy, following what had been considered a disappointing campaign for the Magpies.
Newcastle‘s results took a turn, with the 2024/25 League Cup winners eventually finishing 12th, way off the European qualification spots. Despite positive talks in the summer, where Howe had committed his future to the club, the coach has had a change of heart and won’t lead Newcastle into the new season.
Instead, it looks as if Jaissle will be ushered in to replace Howe, with the 38-year-old having impressed in the Saudi Pro League. The Al Ahli boss is a two-time Asian Champions League winner, and does have experience in European football, having coached Red Bull Salzburg for two seasons.
He won the league in consecutive seasons with the Red Bull-owned side, and as a result, has a very Ralf Rangnick-inspired playing style. Jaissle has described his teams as high intensity, with the idea to win the ball back as soon as possible and attack vertically up the pitch.
Jaissle won’t have long to get his feet under the table before the season gets underway, not least because Newcastle’s pre-season has been tumultuous to say the least. Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali have already left the club, with Bruno Guimaraes also being linked to an exit.
Eyebrows were raised earlier this week when they were beaten 4-1 in pre-season by Championship side Bristol City – a match that will now go down as Howe’s final in charge of Newcastle. Following the hefty defeat, Howe had said: “I thought it was a really good test for us. The scoreline is a difficult one for us to take, I don’t think we deserved that at all today.
“Anyone who watched the game would have seen that we were very competitive. The goals we conceded were strange ones. They had six shots and scored four goals. The majority of the game we had control of with the ball. We probably didn’t do enough with it in terms of creativity, although we certainly should have scored more than the one we got.”