Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is coming under increasing pressure at St. James' Park, with a Premier League-winning boss being lined up to replace him.
A 3-2 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday leaves the Magpies sitting 10th in the Premier League, and a long way off of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
And while Eddie Howe has transformed the club's fortunes in his two years in charge, Newcastle United's owners are growing concerned that the Englishman has taken the club as far as he can. As a result, they've started sounding out potential replacements, including one hugely successful manager.
According to HITC, Newcastle United could look to bring Roberto Mancini to St. James' Park ahead of next season, who won the title with Manchester City in 2012 and led Italy to Euro 2020 glory, too.
Mancini also already has a reported strong relationship with Saudi Arabia's PIF - Newcastle's owners - after the 59-year-old took over the Saudi Arabia national team in August 2023.
A last-16 penalty shootout defeat to South Korea at the Asian Cup earlier this year meant things didn't quite work out how Mancini would have expected, though they are on course to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Though his deal runs until 2027, Newcastle could look to bring Mancini to the club in the summer if their position in the table doesn't improve under Howe. At the moment they won't even qualify for any European competition, which is a drastic underachievement in the eyes of the owners, who reportedly targeted a top-six finish at minimum this term.
Newcastle are still in the FA Cup, however, with their quarter-final tie against Manchester City offering the chance to turn things around. Landing the Magpies their first trophy in over 50 years would certainly improve Howe's chances at staying, though Mancini's experience with winning trophies might prove too good an opportunity to turn down.
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