Newcastle appoint Howe as manager on deal until 2024 with club in Premier League bottom three

November 8, 2021

The Magpies’ search for Steve Bruce’s successor has come to a close, with the former Bournemouth boss offered a return to top-flight coaching

Newcastle have appointed Eddie Howe as their new manager on a two-and-a-half year deal until 2024.

The Magpies dismissed Steve Bruce on October 20 after his 1,000th game in club management, with Graeme Jones in caretaker charge since.

Various candidates were in the running at St James’ Park, but Howe is the man entrusted to guide the ambitious outfit into a new era.

What has been said?

Howe told the club website: “It is a great honour to become head coach of a club with the stature and history of Newcastle United. It is a very proud day for me and my family.”

United co-owner Amanda Staveley said: “We have been incredibly impressed by Eddie through what has been a rigorous recruitment process.

“As well as his obvious achievements with AFC Bournemouth, where he had a transformational impact, he is a passionate and dynamic coach who has clear ideas about taking this team and club forward.

Who else were Newcastle linked with?

Before settling on Howe, the Magpies – fresh from a £300 million ($403m) takeover by a Saudi-led consortium – were linked with a lengthy list of coaching targets.

Antonio Conte was said to have been in their sights, but the former Juventus and Chelsea boss has returned to the Premier League at Tottenham.

Ex-England stars Frank Lampard andSteven Gerrard also generated speculation, but the former remains out of work since leaving Stamford Bridge in January and the latter is still in charge of Scottish champions Rangers.

Paulo Fonseca and Roberto Martinez were two more experienced campaigners, while one-time Arsenal manager Unai Emery appeared a serious candidate to take the reins.

Emery ruled himself out of the running as he opted to remain at La Liga side Villarreal, and that cleared the path for Howe to head for Tyneside.

Is Howe the right man?

Howe became the youngest manager in the Football League when, after injury brought a premature end to his playing days, he was appointed by Bournemouth on a permanent basis in January 2009.

He was just 31 at the time, but quickly showed that he was up to the challenge and oversaw promotion out of League Two in his first full season.

A brief stint at Burnley aside, Howe would oversee Bournemouth’s rise from the fourth tier to the Premier League, with the elite reached in 2015.

Howe kept the Cherries in the top-flight for five seasons, but stepped down as manager in 2020 after seeing the club slip back into the Championship.

In total, across two spells, he had 458 games in charge of Bournemouth, claiming 194 wins and being named LMA Manager of the Year in 2015