Eddie Howe has left his role as Newcastle United head coach following discussions with the club’s hierarchy over the past 48 hours.
Although the decision was finalised this week, Howe had been considering his future for several weeks while continuing to prepare the squad for the new season, including their Premier League opener against Liverpool on August 23.
According to Sky Sports News, Al Ahli head coach Matthias Jaissle is the leading candidate to replace Howe, with talks at an advanced stage.
Jaissle currently manages one of the Saudi Pro League clubs owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which also owns Newcastle. Kieran McKenna and Antonio Conte were also among the names considered by the club.
Howe’s departure follows a difficult summer for Newcastle, who have already sold Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon, while captain Bruno Guimaraes continues to attract interest from Arsenal.
The club also sanctioned the British-record £125million sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool last summer.
Those departures are understood to have influenced Howe’s decision, with concerns over the strength of the squad ahead of the new campaign.
Despite believing he could continue to move the club forward, he had hoped for further reinforcement in the transfer market.
Newcastle have signed winger Bazoumana Toure from Hoffenheim, Ajax midfielder Sean Steur and goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen from Reims, but they recently missed out on Johan Manzambi, who opted to join Aston Villa.
Eddie Howe leaves St James’ Park after one of the most successful spells in the club’s modern history.
He ended Newcastle’s 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy by winning the League Cup, guided the Magpies into the Champions League on two occasions and oversaw their deepest-ever run in the competition last season.
His final match in charge was Wednesday’s 4-1 pre-season defeat to Bristol City. However, the result did not influence his decision, which had been developing for around two weeks.
Howe informed his coaching staff after returning from Bristol and is expected to take a break from football. He wanted Newcastle to have a successor lined up before his departure, while the club made efforts to persuade him to remain.
There is understood to be no ill feeling between the two parties, with Newcastle appreciative of Howe’s achievements during his near five-year spell in charge.
The players have not yet been informed of the decision. They are due to fly to Spain on Friday for a pre-season training camp, while the club have yet to issue an official statement.
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