Matthias Jaissle poised to replace Howe at Newcastle
Eddie Howe is set to leave Newcastle United with immediate effect after a change of heart, with Matthias Jaissle of Al Ahli poised to replace him. The exit is amicable: Howe wants a break from football, and talks with the German coach are at an advanced stage.
Key Takeaways
- Howe is leaving Newcastle after about five years; BBC Sport says the exit is with immediate effect.
- Matthias Jaissle is poised to replace him, with talks between the club and the Al Ahli coach at an advanced stage.
- Howe has told the club he wants a break from football, and The Athletic reports the situation is amicable.
- Newcastle finished 12th last season after Howe ended a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy with the 2025 Carabao Cup.
- Jaissle, 38, has won consecutive Asian Champions League titles with Al Ahli, who share Public Investment Fund ownership ties with Newcastle.
What happened with Eddie Howe at Newcastle?
According to BBC Sport, Howe is set to leave with immediate effect. The Athletic reports he decided to stay at St. James' Park at the end of last season, then changed his mind and will depart in the coming days.
The 48-year-old's final match in charge was a 4-1 pre-season friendly defeat by Bristol City on Wednesday. Howe replaced Steve Bruce in November 2021 and later guided Newcastle to Champions League qualification in 2023 and 2025.
Pressure grew after a difficult campaign. Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League after losing 17 of 38 league games, and exited the Champions League in the last 16 with an 8-3 aggregate loss to Barcelona.
Who is Matthias Jaissle and why is he lined up?
Matthias Jaissle, currently at Al Ahli, is the coach Newcastle are preparing to appoint. The Athletic says the German spent his playing career at Hoffenheim, then built his coaching reputation at Red Bull Salzburg with back-to-back Austrian Bundesliga titles and the Austrian Cup.
He joined Al Ahli in 2023 and has since led the club to Asian Champions League crowns in 2025 and 2026, known for high-intensity, attacking football. Like Newcastle, Al Ahli is majority owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
Club preparations for Howe's exit are described as advanced, which is why Jaissle's name has moved to the centre of the succession story so quickly.
Why does Howe's exit matter for Newcastle now?
Howe will be remembered for ending Newcastle's long trophy drought by beating Liverpool in the 2025 Carabao Cup final. That legacy sits beside a summer of upheaval: Anthony Gordon has joined Barcelona and Sandro Tonali has moved to Tottenham, while Arsenal interest in Bruno Guimaraes continues.
With the Premier League opener against Liverpool a little over three weeks away, Newcastle must assimilate a new head coach while the squad is still in flux. For wider BlasterPost coverage across emerging stories and analysis hubs, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders category.
Both BBC Sport and The Athletic frame the departure as imminent, with Jaissle the clear frontrunner if the advanced talks conclude as expected.