Eddie Howe has left his role as Newcastle United head coach after 231 games and just under five years at St James’ Park.
His exit comes in the wake of a 4-1 defeat by Bristol City in a pre-season friendly at Ashton Gate on Wednesday evening, after which he hinted at changes at the club. “There has been a lot of change at the football club and potentially more to come,” he said when asked about his optimism ahead of the new season.
Howe was hired in November 2021 to replace Steve Bruce as the manager of Premier League club. In January 2023, the 48-year-old former Bournemouth manager guided Newcastle to Carabao Cup triumph, their first major silverware since 1955. Howe oversaw Champions League qualifications via a fourth-place league finish in 2022-23.
Despite considerable investment from their Saudi backers, Newcastle underperformed last season, finishing in 12th place last season, a slump from fifth place in the previous campaign. From 7 January, they won just five of their last 17 league games.
The club have been depleted by the departures of Sandro Tonali to Tottenham and England forward Anthony Gordon to Barcelona in recent weeks. Speculation continues over the future of captain Bruno Guimaraes.
The club are due to be heading to south-east Spain later this week to step up their preparations for the new season. Included on their itinerary is a visit to La Liga side Valencia on Saturday 8 August for their annual Trofeu Taronja (Orange Cup) game.
