Eddie Howe has reportedly resigned as Newcastle United manager just weeks before the start of the new Premier League season. Howe is respected on Tyneside for helping lead Newcastle to their first trophy in 70 years, but the Englishman leaves his post amid a summer of turmoil for the North East side.
According to a report from The Athletic, Al Ahly’s Mattias Jaissle is the frontrunner to replace Howe, who had originally decided to remain at St James’ Park beyond the end of the 2025/26 season. The former Bournemouth manager has held talks with club bosses following what was believed to be a disappointing season for the Magpies.
Newcastle’s results have changed completely, with the 2024/25 League Cup winners ultimately finishing in 12th place, far from the European qualification spots. Howe committed his future to the club in the summer and held positive negotiations, but the manager has had a change of heart and will not lead Newcastle into the new season.
Instead, 38-year-old Jaisul, who has a proven track record in the Saudi Professional League, will be brought in to replace Howe. Al Ahly’s manager has won the Asian Champions League twice and also has experience in European football, having coached Red Bull Salzburg for two seasons.
He won the league title in consecutive seasons with Red Bull’s team, and as a result developed a playing style that was heavily influenced by Ralph Rangnick. Jaisul described his team as high-intensity, with a mindset of winning the ball back as quickly as possible and attacking vertically up the pitch.
Newcastle’s pre-season has been eventful to say the least, so it won’t take long for Jaisul to be ready before the start of the season. Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali have already left the club, while Bruno Guimarães is also linked with a departure.
Eyebrows were raised earlier this week when they lost 4-1 to Championship side Bristol City in pre-season. This game will be remembered as Howe’s last game in charge of Newcastle. After the big loss, he said: “I think it was a really good test for us. The scoreline is difficult for us, but today I didn’t think we deserved it at all.”
“Anyone who watched the game could see that we were very competitive. It was strange that we conceded goals. They took six shots and scored four goals. We controlled the ball for the most part in the game. We probably weren’t good enough in terms of creativity, but we certainly should have scored more than the one we got.”
