Surprising news arrived from England this morning: Newcastle United are set to lose their manager. According to The Athletic, Eddie Howe has decided to step down from his position. There was considerable speculation about the 48-year-old's future toward the end of last season, but Howe ultimately chose to remain in charge. Less than three months later, however, he has changed his mind, deciding to leave Newcastle after five years. It appears the club's hierarchy had anticipated this possibility, as The Athletic reports that a replacement is virtually lined up, with Al Ahli head coach Matthias Jaissle expected to succeed him.BREAKING: Eddie Howe has left his role as Newcastle United head coach 🚨The decision has been taken following discussions with the club’s hierarchy over the last 48 hours although Howe had started the ball rolling on a potential departure a number of weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/WgMOuOIVDU— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 30, 2026 The reason? According to The Athletic, Howe informed the club's executives that he wanted to take a break from football. It is worth remembering, though, that Newcastle endured a disappointing campaign, finishing 12th in the Premier League with only five wins from their final 17 league matches. At the time, senior figures at St James' Park debated whether it was time to part ways with Howe, but ultimately decided to keep him in charge. Not for long, however, as Howe has now chosen to leave the club on his own after half a decade. He was likely frustrated by his inability to build a squad capable of matching the ambitions of Newcastle's Saudi owners. The club has repeatedly lost out in the transfer market, missing out on around ten transfer targets over the past year alone, while also seeing several of its key players depart. Alexander Isak left last August following a lengthy and exhausting transfer saga, while this June, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have also moved on. Captain Bruno Guimaraes could soon follow them out of the door.Giants are picking Magpies apart – Arsenal make move for Bruno GuimaraesIn short, rather than progressing year after year, Newcastle appear to be moving backwards. That is certainly not entirely Eddie Howe's fault—or perhaps not even mainly his. Regardless, the charismatic Englishman will be remembered above all for ending the club's 70-year wait for a major trophy by winning the 2025 EFL Cup and restoring Newcastle's identity. Now, after a disappointing season and Howe's departure, serious questions are being asked about the direction of the Saudi-backed project and what the future holds for the club. Much will depend on how Matthias Jaissle handles the biggest challenge of his coaching career. Widely regarded as one of Germany's brightest young managers, Jaissle left Red Bull Salzburg for Al Ahli three years ago and, despite fierce competition, delivered impressive results, leading the Jeddah-based club to back-to-back AFC Champions League titles as well as the Saudi Super Cup. The Premier League, however, is an entirely different challenge.##NAJAVA_MECA_9868155##