Newcastle are three weeks out from the new season and set to welcome Matthias Jaissle to the club as Eddie Howe's replacement.
Howe is leaving the Magpies after almost five years at the helm, a period in which he has led the team into the Champions League twice and lifted a trophy for the first time since 1969.
The much-loved head coach is calling time on his Newcastle stint, months after the first knockings of discontent.
Eddie Howe calls time on Newcastle spell
In truth, the writing was on the wall long before the 2025/26 season had begun. Howe had become de facto sporting director and chief spokesperson during the long absence in which Newcastle had neither the former or a chief executive after Darren Eales had stepped down due to health reasons.
Alexander Isak's protracted exit last summer and the trolley dash that ensued to replace him suggested there were key elements and figures at St James' Park that were far from aligned.
Confirmation of a 12th place finish following a long and arduous season should have been the time Howe walked away, but for whatever reason, he remained throughout this summer.
FourFourTwo understands Howe was ready to walk after Newcastle's 3-2 defeat by Brentford back in February. The Toon Army had surrendered an early lead, which had become a theme throughout 2025/26, before conceding a late Dango Ouattara winner.
Howe was persuaded to stay on but all was not well. Before long, rumours about the futures of key players Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes began to emerge in the media, from credible sources no less. Two have already left this summer, with a third highly likely to be on his way.
Within the corridors at Newcastle's Benton training base, there has been talk that Howe hasn't been the same since suffering with a bout of pneumonia. He was hospitalised in April 2025, spending four nights under the watchful eye of doctors and missed three Newcastle matches.
Re-discovering the same vigour which led Newcastle to two memorable Champions League campaigns and a Carabao Cup triumph, it would appear to some, proved too great a task.
This summer, Newcastle have been proactive in the transfer market, with signings spearheaded by new sporting director Ross Wilson.
The experienced football executive has a track record when it comes to unearthing and capturing hidden gems. Newcastle's business has reflected that, although at this stage, many of the additions still have plenty to prove in the game, never mind the unforgiving nature of English football which they are about to enter.
They have not been what one might call 'Howe signings', and that has probably played a part in his decision to leave.
Ewen Jaouen, Aladji Bamba, Sean Steur and Bazoumana Toure have arrived for a combined £111 million, the club reinvesting the money recouped from Tonali and Gordon's sales. Plainly, the new faces are not at the level of those they are replacing in the Newcastle squad just yet.
The true reasoning behind Howe's exit will remain unknown, until a time in which he discusses the departure but there are myriad factors. Firstly, there is an ownership group who have spent the past 18 months appearing somewhat disengaged, misalignment between the coaching side and executive apparatus at St James' Park, as well as Howe seemingly having to relinquish his role in player recruitment this summer, following a disastrous window this time last year.
Howe earned the right to walk away on his terms, and although it is a sad day for Newcastle supporters, many will take the view that it is a necessary step - if only the timing was a little better.
He will remain a legend in the eyes of Toon fans for what he has achieved with the club, lifting the team from relegation certainties in 2021/22 to regular contenders for Champions League football and finally ending the trophy drought.
Where Newcastle go from here is anyone's guess, except for the identity of the man filling the biggest shoes on Tyneside. German coach Matthias Jaissle, schooled under the Red Bull umbrella and has spent the past three seasons in Saudi Arabia, looks to be the man taking to the dugout. Make your own assumptions about that appointment.
The club's hierarchy have been able to line up a replacement, because they know Howe reached his limit some months ago. On the surface, what finally convinced the Newcastle boss to walk away appears to be a 4-1 pre-season friendly defeat to Championship side Bristol City, but this was far from the decisive blow.
