Newcastle United went into the final international break of the 2025/26 campaign after two disappointing results in the Premier League and Champions League.
The Magpies were thrashed 7-2 by Barcelona in the second leg of their European play-off final, losing 8-3 on aggregate, ending their run in the Champions League.
Eddie Howe’s side finished bottom of their group in their last Champions League campaign, and failed to progress past the Last 16 stage this time around.
After Barcelona, the Magpies host rivals Sunderland in St. James’ Park and was beaten 2-1 by the newly promoted team, making it ten league games without a run for the Black Cats.
Recent results and performances have shone a light on the future of the manager, who has been in place since the 2021/22 season, on Tyneside.
The latest on Eddie Howe’s future at Newcastle
The Daily Mail recently reported that Howe’s long-term future as part of Newcastle’s PIF project is in doubt due to results on the pitch and financial problems facing the club off the pitch.
They said the Magpies would have to sell some of their top players, such as Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, to be able to reinvest in the club in the transfer window next summer, if they miss out on finishing in the top five.
The Daily Mail quoted CEO David Hopkinson as saying: “I have no position on (Eddie Howe’s) future. What I can tell you is that losing the derby hurts. We take it seriously. There’s nothing in us that thinks, “Just three points and we’re going”. It’s been heard. I’ve spent a few hours talking about a lot of things, recently we’ve been talking about a lot of things about Eddie. Including that.
“We are not looking to make a change at the moment. We do not have those discussions. We are still in the middle of the season.”
Interestingly, Hopkinson clarified ‘for the time being’ and was not willing to give up the permanent position of English coach in a long-term position at St. James’ Park.
If the Magpies and the PIF decide to make a change at the end of the season, there is an out-of-work manager who could be a better fit for Howe.
Rafa Benitez could be Newcastle’s next manager
Arguably the most famous manager at Newcastle before Howe’s reign was Rafa Benitez, who first arrived at the club as a big personality and a well-known manager, winning the Champions League and managing the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool.
Now, the Magpies could find their next Spaniard by moving to appoint Enzo Maresca to replace Howe, should they decide to leave England in the summer.
Maresca has been out of action since being sacked by Chelsea earlier this year, and could be a great opportunity to play a role in St. James’ Park if available.
The Italian manager was previously Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City before stepping up as head coach. Since then, the Cityzens manager has described Maresca as “one of the best managers in the world” and said he was lucky to work with him,
Maresca won the Championship title with Leicester City in the 2023/24 campaign before taking the Chelsea job. During his time at Stamford Bridge, the former City boss won the Conference League and the Club World Cup before being sacked earlier this year.
|
Maresca in international competitions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Competition |
Games |
It wins |
|
Conference League |
13 |
12 |
|
Club World Cup |
7 |
6 |
|
The Champions League |
6 |
3 |
|
Conference League Qualifiers |
2 |
1 |
The out-of-work coach has won 22 of 28 international matches in his managerial career so far, losing just five times, and won two trophies in those games.
On the other hand, Howe has won seven of 18 games in Europe, losing six times, and the only major trophy he has won in his career was last year’s League Cup success.
Maresca, like Benitez, will arrive at St James’ Park with the experience of winning European Cups and managing big clubs under his belt, which could be the key to taking Newcastle to the next level.
The Magpies have won the domestic cup and pushed for European competition under Howe, but the next step is to compete for trophies at the international level, which is why Maresca could come as a huge upgrade for him.
Therefore, Newcastle must continue to convince the Italian to come to Tyneside this summer if they choose to replace Howe at the end of this season.
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