November 8 – After 33 hectic days following the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United, the Tyneside club have confirmed that Eddie Howe will succeed Steve Bruce as head coach, tasked first and foremost with steering the Magpies out of the relegation zone.
“This is a wonderful opportunity but there is also a lot of work ahead of us and I’m eager to get on to the training ground to begin working with the players,” said Howe, who departed Bournemouth in August 2020 following relegation and signed a contract until the summer of 2024 with Newcastle. “It’s a great honour to become head coach of a club with the stature and history of Newcastle United.”
On Saturday, Howe was in the stands when Newcastle drew 1-1 at Brighton. The club sit in 19th place in the league table, five points from safety after 11 games. He was however not Newcastle’s first choice, but frontrunner Unai Emery ultimately decided to commit to his current club Villareal.
“We have been incredibly impressed by Eddie through what has been a rigorous recruitment process,” said Newcastle’s co-owner Amanda Staveley. “As well as his obvious achievements with Bournemouth, where he had a transformational impact, he is a passionate and dynamic coach who has clear ideas about taking this team and club forward.”
After the international break, Howe will lead his first game at home to Brentford. He will have to see through nine matches before the January transfer window when Newcastle and the Saudi owners will have an opportunity to strengthen the squad in a bid to avoid relegation. Howe enjoyed a spectacular rise in Bournemouth where he took the club from League Two to the top flight, but after five seasons Bournemouth were relegated again, staining Howe’s legacy.
His predecessor Bruce left Newcastle by mutual consent on 20 October, just days after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) completed the takeover, ending Mike Ashley’s ownership. The new owners claim that PIF is separate from the Saudi state, which has come under heavy criticism over its human rights record.
The investment fund is chaired by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman. “The Premier League has now received legally binding assurances that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not control Newcastle United Football Club,” read a statement from the league at the time.
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