The new owners at Newcastle United are set to appoint their first new manager, as Eddie Howe has reportedly agreed a deal in principle to take over from the recently departed Steve Bruce and interim boss Graeme Jones.
[ MORE: Transfer news: Philippe Coutinho to Newcastle? ]
After eight games under Bruce, Newcastle sat 19th in the Premier League table with three points. Two games into Jones’ tenure, the Magpies now have four points but they remain in 19th.
Newcastle are also reported to have held talks with former Roma and one-time Tottenham Hotspur target Paulo Fonseca, as well as former Arsenal boss and current Villarreal manager Unai Emery.
What experience does Eddie Howe bring to Newcastle United?
Howe hasn’t managed since mutually parting ways with Bournemouth just weeks before the start of the 2020-21 season, now 15 months ago. Howe was offered the job at Celtic in the summer, but negotiations broke down and his wait for a return to management continued.
Bournemouth were massively successful under Eddie Howe — in two different spells — after he took over with the club facing relegation from League Two, out of the Football League, in 2008. By 2015, the Cherries were in the Premier League, where they would spend five seasons before the relegation preceding Howe’s second departure.
[ MORE: Pep Guardiola says winning at Man City special: “Nobody will help you” ]
What kind of tactics does Eddie Howe bring to Newcastle United?
Under Eddie Howe, Bournemouth played some sensationally entertaining football for a club of any size, let along their modest means. Some would say that Howe’s tactics were a bit naive at times — and they wouldn’t be completely wrong, given how openly and expansively they tried to play — but the slick possession and passing took Bournemouth to a 9th-place finish in 2017.
Given the considerable financial backing he is expected to have at Newcastle, Howe won’t be graded on a curve this time around. The uncertainty surrounding so many current Newcastle players’ futures will make the job significantly more difficult for Howe or anyone taking the post.
It is unlikely that Howe will have much say in the matter of transfer dealings, however, as he appears to be a de facto caretaker manager himself, merely keeping the seat warm for the marquee hire in 6-18 months.
