July 30 (Reuters) – Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has stepped down from his role with immediate effect and will be replaced by Al Ahli coach Matthias Jaissle, British media reported on Thursday.
The 48-year-old leaves after five years in charge, having guided Newcastle to their first major domestic trophy in 70 years with their League Cup triumph in 2025.
He also led the club to Champions League qualification in 2023 and 2025.
While the north-east club had yet to make an official announcement hours after the reports, Sky Sports said the decision followed discussions between Howe and Newcastle’s hierarchy over the last 48 hours.
Several British media outlets reported that Howe informed the club of his desire to take a break from the managerial role.
Former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer thanked Howe in a BBC column for everything he had done for the club, and suggested the sale of key players and missed transfer targets had played a part in the decision.
“The timing of Eddie’s exit is the biggest surprise for me – three weeks into pre-season, and with only three weeks to go until the Premier League starts again,” he wrote.
“I don’t know exactly what has gone on behind the scenes for this to happen now but I guess, from his point of view, he was seeing his best players being sold … he has probably thought it was a tough enough job anyway but it’s just getting tougher.”
Newcastle sold Sweden striker Alexander Isak to Liverpool last year and have since offloaded Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur and England winger Anthony Gordon to Barcelona. Captain Bruno Guimaraes could also follow them out.
Howe’s exit follows a disappointing campaign in which Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League after suffering 17 defeats in 38 matches. His final game in charge was a 4-1 pre-season loss to Bristol City on Wednesday.
German Jaissle’s Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli and Newcastle are both owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru and Alan Baldwin in London; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Ken Ferris)
