EDDIE HOWE was due to step down as Newcastle boss after almost five years in charge, it was reported today.

The 48-year-old arrived on Tyneside in November 2021 and ended the club’s 70-year wait for domestic silverware with League Cup glory in 2025.

His time in charge also saw the Magpies twice qualify for the Champions League.

However, last season was a disappointment as Newcastle limped to 12th place in the Premier League.

The Magpies have also endured a difficult summer transfer window with the departure of stars Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, while speculation continues over the future of captain Bruno Guimaraes.

Howe was in charge for a 4-1 pre-season friendly defeat at Bristol City on Wednesday night.

It is understood that Howe’s departure from the club is amicable.

Al-Ahli head coach Matthias Jaissle is one of the names that have been linked with taking over at St James’ Park.

Former Bournemouth boss Howe was appointed by Newcastle in November 2021 to replace Steve Bruce and steered the club to Premier League safety with an 11th-placed finish.

During the 2022-23 season under Howe, Newcastle appeared in the League Cup final – which they lost to Manchester United — and finished fourth in the Premier League.

That brought the Magpies’ return to the Champions League, their first in 20 years, which included a memorable 4-1 triumph over Paris St Germain at St James’ Park in the group stages.

Howe was at the helm as Newcastle ended their domestic trophy drought with a 2-1 win over Liverpool in the League Cup final in March 2025, with local boy Dan Burn on the scoresheet along with Alexander Isak.

A frustrating campaign followed for the Magpies last year as they slipped to a finish in the bottom half of the Premier League, which also saw them beaten twice by rivals Sunderland.

Their League Cup title defence was ended with defeat to Manchester City in the semi-finals and the Tynesiders were also knocked out of the Champions League with a 8-3 aggregate loss to Barcelona in the round of 16.

Howe had overseen two pre-season fixtures this month, a 1-1 draw against Gateshead on Saturday followed by defeat to Bristol City four days later.

Speaking after the Bristol City match, Howe told Newcastle’s club media: “Ideally you don’t want to lose, I’m not saying we’re happy to lose, we’re not. We wanted to win the game but you do want a test. For me, you don’t want the games to be too easy.

“We knew coming here with the squad that we have and the current state of their physical wellbeing in terms of we haven’t trained for too long compared to a Championship team who no doubt will be a week to two weeks ahead of us, we knew it would be very difficult.

“We felt we’d probably be strong enough to do better than we did in terms of scoreline, but I’m really pleased the players came through extended minutes.”

Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer paid tribute to Howe on X, posting a picture of the outgoing Magpies boss holding up the League Cup with the caption: “Thanks Eddie. You gave us this day.”