EDDIE HOWE’s Newcastle exit was not as sudden as it might appear.
A congregation of TWENTY-FIVE Saudi bosses decided that Howe would be allowed to stay on at the end of last season, when the Magpies finished 12th in the Premier League.
But Howe spent much of the summer reflecting on whether he actually wanted to continue after five years in the job.
And it has been reported that the former Bournemouth boss, 48, effectively made up his mind a few weeks ago, but stuck around out of courtesy until the club found his replacement – Matthias Jaissle from Al-Ahli.
The split has been described as ‘amicable’, but the fact Howe now wants to take a break from football is telling.
He brought Newcastle their first major trophy in 70 years by winning the Carabao Cup in 2025, but off the pitch it has been one headache after another.
Building up momentum was nigh on impossible towards the end of Howe’s tenure when PSR was piling on the pressure and his best players were being auctioned off in every window.
Last summer it was star striker Alexander Isak, who dug his heels in over a move to Liverpool and eventually got what he wanted.
Replacing the Swede was a nightmare as Toon bosses faced rejection from multiple targets – including Hugo Ekitike, who twisted the knife by heading to Anfield – before landing on Nick Woltemade.
This summer is shaping up to be a similar story.
Anthony Gordon left for Barcelona early in the window before Sandro Tonali fled to Tottenham.
Hefty fees were paid for both, but Newcastle have spent the cash on young, unproven talent.
Another dagger came in the form of captain Bruno Guimaraes telling the club he wants to join Arsenal.
Howe was desperate to keep hold of the Brazilian but believed the club would sell him, which, according to The Telegraph, was ‘the final straw’.
Howe reportedly believed he could turn Newcastle’s fortunes around if the club recruited well this summer.
So the fact he is walking away tells its own story about what he thinks of their transfer business in this window.
Convincing players to move to the North East – and stay there – has perhaps been a tougher task than the Toon’s Saudi chiefs had anticipated.
Howe was once keen on Bryan Mbeumo and Antoine Semenyo before they snubbed Newcastle to join Manchester giants United and City instead.
In this window it was Victor Munoz and Johan Manzambi, who ended up at Liverpool and Aston Villa despite Newcastle putting in significant legwork to bring them both to St James’ Park.
It is no wonder transfer dealings are said to have played an important role in Howe’s decision to leave.
He led Newcastle to survival in his first campaign, a Champions League spot in the next, plus a top-five finish and a trophy two seasons later.
But after overseeing five wins in their last 17 games last term and finishing in the bottom half, Howe may have doubted that his group was in a position to achieve bigger and better things.
Those doubts will only have grown after watching the vultures gut his squad this summer.
And he shared his final decision with staff members hours after a 4-1 pre-season humbling at Bristol City on Wednesday.