Eddie Howe has left Newcastle United after a turbulent 12 months that saw him go from Carabao Cup winning manager to suffering derby day boos. Insiders pointed to "the rigours" of the top job at St James' Park as a major factor in his decision to quit as head coach.
Alexander Isak's strike
Howe felt let down by Sweden international Alexander Isak after he refused to board a plane to the Far East for pre-season to force a £125m move to Liverpool. Howe told a journalist in Seoul that he was disappointed by the timing. Isak's decision left Newcastle ill-prepared for the transfer window, and the £240m spent on Nick Woltemade, Malick Thiaw, Jacob Ramsey and Yoane Wissa did not pay off, leading to a series of spluttering draws early in the 2025/26 season.
Losing to Sunderland twice
Derby defeats spelled trouble for Howe. Newcastle looked flat in a 1-0 loss to Sunderland in December, and a last-minute defeat in March to a Brian Brobbey goal at St James' Park drew jeers from fans. Howe had to cut a lap of appreciation short.
The Burnley onslaught
Howe's calm demeanour slipped after a 3-1 win over Burnley when criticism of an unconvincing display led him to deny an "onslaught" in response to a question. He told Chronicle Live: "An onslaught? Against us? Have you seen the stats on the game? You must have watched a different game then. There was no onslaught."
Loss of control on transfers
Steve Nickson's exit as transfer chief and the arrival of sporting director Ross Wilson reduced Howe's say in transfers. After a 4-1 loss to Bristol City, when asked about new signings, Howe said: "I'm not on top of that, unfortunately. So that'll be for someone else."
Double exit blow and new policy
Howe's 2026 summer window began with Anthony Gordon's £69.3m move to Barcelona, followed by Sandro Tonali's £100m exit. Howe admitted he was happy to go along with signing younger players, but it was questioned whether he could lead the team to a top-six finish with so many big names gone.
The Bruno Guimaraes affair
Arsenal made clear their interest in Bruno Guimaraes, albeit at a lower price than Newcastle valued him. In his last press conference, Howe said "forces were at play" and he had no control over Bruno's future. Our information is that Howe thought about quitting over the summer but vowed to continue before changing his mind.
