Newcastle United are preparing for a major managerial transition, with Eddie Howe set to depart and Matthias Jaissle in advanced negotiations to become the club's next head coach, according to The New York Times.
Howe, 48, has informed Newcastle he wants to take a break from football after five years in charge at St. James' Park. The decision comes just months after he led the club to their first major domestic trophy in 70 years, the 2025 Carabao Cup, with victory over Liverpool in the final.
The parting is described as amicable. Newcastle are well prepared for his exit and talks with Jaissle are at an advanced stage.
Who Is Matthias Jaissle?
Jaissle, 38, currently manages Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia, where he has built an impressive resume. He joined the club in 2023 and has since led them to consecutive Asian Champions League titles in 2025 and 2026, playing a brand of high-intensity, attacking football.
The connection between the two clubs is significant. Al Ahli, like Newcastle, are majority owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which facilitates the movement of personnel between the two organizations.
Before his move to the Middle East, Jaissle spent two seasons coaching Red Bull Salzburg, where he won back-to-back Austrian Bundesliga titles and the Austrian Cup. His coaching roots trace back to the Red Bull network, where he began as a youth coach after a playing career cut short by injury.
Jaissle spent his entire playing career as a centre-back with Hoffenheim, where he was part of the squad that earned Bundesliga promotion in 2008. A Germany Under-21 international, he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in 2009 and retired at 26. Ralf Rangnick, then RB Leipzig's head of sport, invited him onto a trainee programme within the club's youth department, setting him on a coaching path.
Howe's Mixed Legacy at Newcastle
Howe was appointed in November 2021, succeeding Steve Bruce when Newcastle sat 19th in the Premier League, shortly after the PIF-led consortium completed its takeover. He initially guided the club to top-flight safety before overseeing a fourth-place finish in 2022-23, securing Champions League qualification.
Last season, however, brought a sharp downturn. Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League and exited the Champions League at the last-16 stage with an 8-3 aggregate defeat to Barcelona. From January 7 onward, they won just five of 17 league games.
Despite the poor run, Howe remained in his post following high-level talks that included a 25-strong PIF delegation at Matfen Hall in Northumberland. All parties acknowledged the season was unacceptable but reached consensus that he should continue.
A Disruptive Summer compounds the challenge
Newcastle are also navigating a turbulent transfer window. They have sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for £69.3 million ($92.5m) and Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur for £100m. Arsenal are pursuing Bruno Guimaraes, who wants to join the Premier League champions.
New signings brought in to replace the departed players are young and unproven. With the opening match against Liverpool in a little over three weeks, the club now faces the added challenge of assimilating a new head coach.
Why It Matters for Newcastle's Future
Howe's departure marks the end of a transformative era. He led Newcastle out of the relegation zone, reached two cup finals, qualified for the Champions League twice, and delivered the club's first domestic trophy since 1955. As Newcastle United writer George Caulkin noted, Howe "changed everything" at the club and will be considered a club legend.
Yet the post-trophy period proved difficult. Alexander Isak departed last summer under contentious circumstances, recruitment was described as scattergun, and the team never recovered its form.
For Matthias Jaissle, replacing a figure of that stature will not be straightforward. The immediate questions facing the club are pressing: whether the ownership remains committed, whether the project is still intact, and what Newcastle stand for going forward. With Howe gone, an era has ended and leaves the club forever changed.
