Eddie Howe to Leave Newcastle, Matthias Jaissle Set to Replace

Eddie Howe is set to walk away from Newcastle United, bringing an abrupt close to a transformative five-year spell on Tyneside, according to The Athletic.

After initially deciding to stay on at the end of last season, the 48-year-old has had a change of heart and told the board he wants a break from football. No fallout, no public row. An amicable parting, but a seismic one all the same.

A Planned Goodbye, Not a Panic Call

Newcastle’s hierarchy have not been caught cold. Club officials are described as well-prepared for Howe’s departure, with advanced talks already taking place to appoint Al Ahli head coach Matthias Jaissle as his replacement at St James’ Park.

Jaissle has moved into pole position for the job. The German coach has a strong existing relationship with Newcastle’s majority owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), who also control Al Ahli. That alignment at ownership level has pushed him to the front of the queue.

Jaissle’s Rise

At 38, Jaissle arrives with a reputation already carved out in Europe and burnished in Saudi Arabia.

He first made his name at Red Bull Salzburg, where he delivered back-to-back Austrian Bundesliga titles and the Austrian Cup, all built on an aggressive, high-tempo attacking style that fits neatly with modern elite expectations. His teams pressed high, attacked in waves, and rarely died wondering.

The move to Al Ahli in 2023 could have been a step into the shadows. Instead, it became a platform. Jaissle has guided the Saudi side to consecutive AFC Champions League titles in 2025 and 2026, a run that has underlined his ability to manage big games and big personalities under intense scrutiny.

If, as expected, he takes the Newcastle job, he will arrive not as a gamble from left field but as a coach already trusted by the people who run the club.

Howe’s Legacy on Tyneside

Howe’s departure closes one of the most important chapters in Newcastle’s modern history.

He took over from Steve Bruce in November 2021 with the club stuck in 19th place, drifting towards relegation despite the injection of new ownership money. Survival that season felt like a rescue mission. Howe delivered it with something to spare, rebuilding confidence and structure in a squad that had forgotten both.

From there, Newcastle surged. The 2022-23 campaign brought a return to the Champions League, a landmark achievement that reintroduced the club to Europe’s top table and reignited St James’ Park. The stadium became a cauldron again, the noise matching the ambition.

His crowning moment arrived in 2025. Under Howe, Newcastle lifted the Carabao Cup with victory over Liverpool, ending a torturous 70-year wait for a major trophy. For a fanbase used to false dawns and near misses, that afternoon felt like vindication.

Yet football rarely allows a manager to live off past glories.

A Brutal Final Season

The 2025-26 campaign bit hard. Newcastle slipped to a 12th-place finish in the Premier League, a steep drop for a club now expected to chase Champions League spots as a minimum. In Europe, a heavy last-16 defeat to Barcelona underlined the gap that still exists between Newcastle and the true elite.

Despite the setbacks, Howe emerged from end-of-season meetings with PIF delegates at Matfen Hall with backing to continue. The message was one of support, not suspicion.

Then came his decision. A break from the game, a line under a demanding and emotionally draining period. For Newcastle, it means another summer of upheaval just as the project enters a more ruthless phase.

A Squad in Flux

The timing is unforgiving. The squad is already being reshaped at pace, and not entirely on Newcastle’s terms.

Anthony Gordon has been sold to Barcelona for £69.3 million. Sandro Tonali has joined Tottenham Hotspur in a £100m deal. Two cornerstone players, gone. The money is significant, but so is the talent drain.

Arsenal are actively pursuing Bruno Guimaraes, the midfielder who has become the heartbeat of the side since his arrival. His future remains a live issue, and any departure would deepen the sense of transition.

This is the landscape Jaissle is expected to walk into: key players sold, others unsettled, expectations still sky-high.

A New Era, No Soft Landing

If and when his appointment is confirmed, Jaissle will not be granted a gentle introduction. He will be asked to impose his high-intensity style on a squad that is being rebuilt on the fly, in a league that punishes slow starts and uncertainty.

Howe leaves behind a club unrecognisable from the one he inherited – ambitious, relevant, and demanding. Jaissle, backed by owners who already know him, will be tasked with taking that next step: turning sporadic success into a sustained era.

Newcastle have their trophies back in the cabinet and their name back in Europe’s conversations. The question now is simple and stark: can the next man in keep them there?