Top News

Eddie Howe’s exit as Newcastle United manager came as a major surprise on Thursday morning, but in many ways it also felt overdue.

The timing could hardly be worse, with the 2026/27 season beginning in only three weeks, and the decision is reported to have come from Howe rather than Newcastle, despite the club being prepared to continue backing the only managerial appointment of the Saudi Arabian era even after a dreadful 2025/26 campaign.

Newcastle appeared to reach a fresh low almost every month last season, with Howe reportedly close to the edge on several occasions. Even so, after finishing below newly-promoted Sunderland, losing both Tyne-Wear derbies and being thrashed by Barcelona in the Champions League, he somehow stayed in the job.

In the end, however, it was the situation behind the scenes that persuaded Howe to step away.

The former Bournemouth manager is said to have accepted that club captain Bruno Guimaraes would be sold in the same summer that Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon left in big-money transfers. That seems to have been the breaking point for a manager who had been promised more than Newcastle’s hierarchy could realistically provide.

The Magpies have been badly restricted by the Premier League’s financial regulations, which has stopped them from making the jump into the division’s elite bracket. Selling star players has become necessary, preventing their immensely wealthy owners from using the financial power many expected after the takeover.

Newcastle fans dreamed of building a dynasty. Instead, the whole project is rapidly becoming a disaster.

The situation is growing messier by the day and, while Howe often looked like an incapable captain, he has now abandoned what appears to be a sinking ship.

The man expected to replace him is 38-year-old German Matthias Jaissle, a former Hoffenheim defender who retired in 2014 after one appearance for Germany Under-21s.

Seven years after that, he got his first job as a manager, having earlier spent four years as assistant manager at Brondby.

A strong spell with FC Liefering in Austria earned him the Red Bull Salzburg role, and since 2023 Jaissle has been in charge of Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, another club operating under the PIF umbrella.

Jaissle has been successful everywhere he has worked. A two-time AFC Champions League winner, he will believe he can take Newcastle back into the Champions League, though he will also understand the scale of the challenge in front of him.

If, as expected, he is officially appointed Newcastle’s new manager, there will be no shortage of problems to tackle. These are the five biggest priorities waiting for Jaissle at St James’ Park.

We are not firmly arguing that Newcastle must either keep or sell Guimaraes. The point is simply that a decision needs to be taken quickly. For the new manager, establishing clarity should be the number one priority.

As is now clear, Guimaraes’ anticipated move to Premier League champions Arsenal was one step too far after Tonali joined Tottenham, which is entirely understandable.

Losing Alexander Isak, Tonali and Guimaraes to Premier League rivals was never supposed to happen when they arrived at Newcastle. All three were major successes and were meant to form the spine of a side capable of challenging for titles over the long term. As mentioned, the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules have made that almost impossible, and after four years of trying to make the best of a difficult position under PIF, everything finally unravelled last summer.

The Isak saga dragged on for months and left Newcastle with a poor start to 2025/26. The money raised from his sale was then used badly. At first, it was meant to finance a move for Hugo Ekitike, who instead joined Liverpool. Benjamin Sesko was an excellent alternative but chose Manchester United. Nick Woltemade then emerged from nowhere and, despite a decent opening, has come nowhere close to justifying his £73million fee.

Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa have been hugely disappointing after costing a combined £110million, while Jacob Ramsey needed time to settle before eventually showing some encouraging signs.

At least Elanga and Wissa both had strong World Cups, offering a glimpse of what Newcastle supporters might see this season.

That may seem like a detour, but Guimaraes wanting to leave is only the surface of Newcastle’s problems.

The new manager should speak to Bruno as soon as he arrives. Howe’s departure appears to have almost confirmed a move to Arsenal, but Jaissle needs to know whether he is planning for the season with or without his captain.

Unlike Isak, Guimaraes is expected to behave with complete respect and, while some Newcastle supporters will understandably find it hard to accept his departure, many others will understand why he wants to leave a club that seems to be heading in the wrong direction.

Newcastle may have wanted Howe to remain and may even have tried to persuade him not to resign before pre-season, but by walking away he might ultimately have done them a favour.

A new era has to begin now, and deciding whether Guimaraes is part of it must be dealt with immediately. Everyone involved needs clarity.

Newcastle have already acted to replace Tonali by signing rookie midfielders Sean Steur (£20.5m) and Aladji Bamba (£30m). Completing those deals early, along with the arrival of Bazoumana Toure (£40.25m) as Anthony Gordon’s replacement, is one rare positive after last summer’s transfer chaos.

Replacing Tonali properly is far easier said than done. He is, after all, a £100million midfielder. But Newcastle do, believe it or not, have the tools to make a fairly decent attempt.

Tonali’s statistics were impressive, but his game was about far more than numbers. He is an absolute machine. His engine is unmatched, pressing relentlessly even in the closing stages to help Newcastle see out matches. He has every physical quality needed to be a world-class midfielder and the technical ability to go with it.

Signing a new No.6 has to be Jaissle’s top incoming transfer priority. Unfortunately, the market for elite defensive midfielders is not especially inspiring.

Adam Wharton stands out as the best option and would be a major statement signing. Beyond him, Jaissle could look at fellow German Angelo Stiller at Stuttgart, though there may be doubts about whether he can cope with the pace and physical demands of the Premier League.

Other possibilities include Alex Scott, Carlos Baleba, James Garner, Anton Stach and Ruben Neves.

That is easier said than done given Sven Botman’s injury record, is it not? Most people would agree that Botman and Malick Thiaw is Newcastle’s strongest centre-back pairing and, with only one match a week this season, they finally have an opportunity to establish themselves as a dependable elite duo.

Botman looked set to become one of the Premier League’s best defenders before a series of injuries badly disrupted his progress. His lack of availability has damaged not only Newcastle but also Thiaw, who spent his first season at the club alongside a constantly changing set of centre-back partners, while also having to deal with Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale alternating in goal.

On paper, Newcastle’s best back four is Tino Livramento, Thiaw, Botman and Lewis Hall. That should not really be open to debate. The problem is keeping them fit and available together. Alternatively, Jaissle may decide that one or two of them - most likely Livramento or Botman - should be sold or replaced by more dependable options. It is an unnecessary problem for the incoming Magpies manager.

Settling on his preferred defence also means resolving the goalkeeping issue. Pope is not a long-term solution and there are understandable doubts about new signing Ewen Jaouen, who is only 20 years old.

Jaouen had a very difficult night as Newcastle were humiliated by Bristol City on Wednesday evening, only hours before Howe resigned.

Many Newcastle supporters expect a new No.1 to arrive before the transfer window shuts, and that appears to be the sensible move.

An unsettled defence can be one of the most damaging issues any team faces. If Newcastle can have a clear first-choice goalkeeper and a settled back four by September, they will give themselves a much better chance of recovering from a chaotic summer. Another season of uncertainty would be disastrous.

It may seem harsh to single out Woltemade when all of Newcastle’s 2025 summer signings were poor last season, but no player presents a bigger puzzle. Nobody appears fully sure of his best position. Howe certainly was not. Jaissle, as a fellow German, must decide whether he is a striker or an attacking midfielder.

At 6ft 6in, it seems completely obvious that Woltemade should be used as a centre-forward. Yet his inability to run in behind or lead the press makes him a difficult player around whom to structure an attack.

From someone whose tactical advice Jaissle - or any other Premier League manager - will have absolutely no interest in taking, the best use of Woltemade would be in a front two. That would remove some of the pressing burden that comes with being a lone striker while allowing his hold-up play and flick-ons to become real weapons. His footwork and close control with his back to goal are outstanding.

At the end of the day, Newcastle spent a huge amount of money on the big German and, if Jaissle cannot get the best out of him, the club’s hierarchy will not be pleased. At the very least, he can remind them that he had nothing to do with the signing if Woltemade ends up as only a bit-part player.

Reducing it to only five priorities does not really capture the size of the task waiting for Jaissle at St James’ Park.

There is transfer interest in several important players, including Livramento and Hall, while the goalkeeping position remains far from resolved - something already touched upon, though not in great detail.

Going back to basics is a cliché, but sometimes it is exactly what a manager has to do. Newcastle’s success under Howe was built on clear tactical principles. Can Jaissle rebuild those foundations?

Whatever system he prefers, Jaissle has been a clear success wherever he has managed and, while many may treat success in Saudi Arabia with some scepticism, even a star-filled Al-Nassr side still needed plenty to go their way to win Cristiano Ronaldo his first trophy in three years in the Middle East.

Jaissle is clearly no lightweight and an identifiable style of play, probably based on aggressive pressing and entertaining football, would quickly bring Newcastle supporters back onside after the disjointed tactics seen under Howe over the last year.