Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is set to leave the club with immediate effect, according to sources who have spoken to BBC Sport.
Howe’s exit comes after a deeply disappointing Premier League campaign in which Newcastle finished 12th, losing 17 of their 38 league games last season.
The 48-year-old’s final match in charge was a humbling 4-1 pre-season friendly defeat against Bristol City on Wednesday.
Matthias Jaissle, currently managing Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli, is expected to be appointed as Howe’s replacement at St James’ Park.
Howe originally joined Newcastle in November 2021, just one month after the Saudi Public Investment Fund completed their takeover of the club.
Well-placed sources have indicated a measure of surprise from Howe regarding the club’s transfer activity this summer, despite his awareness of the financial necessity to sell players.
Earlier in the year Howe had decided to remain at the club regardless of the inevitable player sales, but his perspective shifted significantly over the course of the summer.
Newcastle lost Alexander Isak to Liverpool, with Howe having spent in the region of £240m on new signings just twelve months prior to that departure.
In January, Howe described losing Isak as “ever-challenging”, and he repeatedly stressed the need for reinforcements during media conferences throughout the campaign.
This summer also saw Sandro Tonali depart for Tottenham and Anthony Gordon leave for Barcelona, while Arsenal are reported to be pursuing club captain Bruno Guimaraes.
In March, Newcastle chief executive David Hopkinson had insisted the club were “not having those conversations” about a managerial change “at the moment”, making the timing of this departure a surprise to many.
Howe replaced Steve Bruce as manager and famously ended Newcastle’s 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy by winning the 2025 Carabao Cup, one of the defining moments of his tenure.
He guided the Magpies to Champions League qualification in both 2023 and 2025, with Newcastle reaching the last-16 of the competition last season before losing 8-3 on aggregate to Barcelona.
Across his time at the club, Howe oversaw 84 Premier League wins from 179 games, drawing 38 and losing 57, making him the manager with the most top-flight victories in Newcastle’s history.
His Premier League win percentage of 46.9% at Newcastle is bettered only by the legendary Kevin Keegan among all managers to have taken charge of the club.
Newcastle fan podcast True Faith’s Charlotte Robson raised questions about the timing of the departure, saying: “We could have done this in May, at the end of the season, when a lot of high-calibre managers were looking for new clubs.”
Robson added that Howe’s emotional investment in the club had been visible, noting: “Our poor performances in the latter part of the season were taking a visible toll on him.”
Fan reaction has been largely one of sadness and concern, with many supporters worried about the impact of losing a manager mid-way through pre-season preparation.
One supporter summed up the mood bluntly, writing: “If there was ever a worst possible time to lose a manager, it’s now: middle of pre-season. This I think will set us back years.”
Howe departs with enormous goodwill from much of the fanbase, having transformed the club’s fortunes after their Saudi-led takeover and delivered memories that supporters will cherish for years to come.
