Newcastle set to appoint Eddie Howe as new manager today as Magpies 'preparing contract'

Posted Saturday, November 06, 2021 by Express.co.uk

Newcastle will reportedly appoint Eddie Howe as their new manager.

Newcastle are set to appoint Eddie Howe after agreeing a contract with the former Bournemouth boss, according to reports. The Magpies have been searching for a new manager since parting ways with Steve Bruce over two weeks ago and finally appear to have landed the veteran’s successor.

It is a recruitment process that had grown slightly chaotic in recent days. Ex-Roma head coach Paulo Fonseca was initially the favourite to land the job but ‘advanced talks’ over his appointment collapsed.

On Monday, it was reported that Unai Emery spearheaded Newcastle’s shortlist of candidates.

Emery, still in charge of Villarreal, was expected to be in place for Newcastle’s Premier League clash with Brighton on Saturday.

The 50-year-old was on a final two-man shortlist with Howe and Newcastle were prepared to pay the £5million it would cost to buy him out of his Villarreal contract, The Athletic claimed.

Newcastle set to appoint Eddie Howe as new manager today as Magpies 'preparing contract'
Newcastle are reportedly preparing to appoint Eddie Howe as their next manager (Image: GETTY)

However, Emery confirmed his desire to remain with the Europa League champions on Wednesday. That was understood to be a shock to some in the Newcastle ranks.

Nevertheless, the Magpies’ new consortium, which is fronted by Amanda Staveley and 80 per cent backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, moved quickly to turn their attention to Howe.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle are sorting the final bits of paperwork on a contract that will run until 2024. It has been reported that there could be a break clause if the Tyneside club, who are 19th in the Premier League, are relegated in May.

Other managerial candidates, such as new Tottenham boss Antonio Conte and Ajax's Erik Ten Hag, were considered 'impossible'. Talks with Fonseca meanwhile broke down while Emery preferred to stay in Spain.

Howe was not Newcastle's first choice but at least brings vast experience in rebuilding a club, which will come in handy with Staveley's vast plans. He guided Bournemouth from the bottom of League Two to the Premier League in just eight years.

He maintained the Cherries' top-flight status for five years. The 43-year-old has been out of work since leaving the South Coast side upon relegation in the summer of 2020.

One mark against his name will be that Bournemouth's plight came despite huge spending. They paid out around £225m on transfers during their Premier League spell but many of those incoming stars failed to make their mark.

That might be a concern to director Staveley, who has promised lavish spending on 'world-class' arrivals.

Newcastle set to appoint Eddie Howe as new manager today as Magpies 'preparing contract'
Newcastle director Amanda Staveley helped broker the £305m takeover last month (Image: GETTY)

"We are in the market to compete for world-class players,” she told journalists of Newcastle’s plans in the aftermath of helping to broker the eye-watering £305m Saudi-backed takeover last month.

"We have great ambitions — I hope it’s going to be a game-changer for Newcastle United.

"But if you don’t put the infrastructure around that world-class player and you don’t have a team that can play with him, you’ll get nowhere."

She added: "The training ground is really awful and needs a huge amount of investment. Luckily, that is one area we are not restricted by Financial Fair Play. There is no point in having fantastic players if there is nowhere for them to train.

"To get to the top of the Premier League you need a strong foundation, not just great players. They need to be robust and we need to build them.

"We also want to invest in St James’ Park — it needs a little bit more love."

Newcastle face Brighton on Saturday and Howe, if appointed, will be have the October international break to put together his plans. They then host Brentford on 20 November.