Newcastle United have announced the departure of Eddie Howe with immediate effect, with Matthias Jaissle expected to replace him at St. James' Park. 

Howe's departure comes five years after he joined Newcastle from Bournemouth, with his final match in charge being a 4-1 defeat to Bristol City in a pre-season friendly. 

The 48-year-old had reportedly been debating whether to leave for several weeks, with Newcastle confirming his decision to do so in a statement on Friday. 

It has been a difficult period both on and off the pitch for the Magpies, with Howe leading them to a 12th-place finish in the Premier League last season. 

Newcastle lost 17 top-flight games in 2025-26, last losing more matches across a single Premier League campaign in 2017-18, when Rafael Benitez was at the helm. 

They sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a Premier League-record £125m fee last summer, while Anthony Gordon has joined Barcelona and Sandro Tonali departed for Tottenham this year. Captain Bruno Guimaraes, meanwhile, has been tipped to sign for Arsenal. 

It had been reported that Howe was disgruntled about the club's transfer business ahead of the 2026-27 season, with several of Newcastle's biggest players being up for sale.

Ewen Jaouen, Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba and Bazoumana Toure have joined the club, but those new signings will now be working under a new head coach.

"After a period of personal reflection, I have decided that now is the right time for me to step away from my role as head coach of Newcastle United," Howe said.

"After nearly five years of giving my life, heart and soul into the club with unrelenting energy, I feel that it is in the best interests of both myself and the club to step away, recharge and take a break.

"Although it's been incredibly difficult to make this decision, I know in my heart that it's the right one. I have always put the best interests of Newcastle before my own in every single decision I have made whilst I've been here, and this one is no different.

"I remain incredibly positive and enthusiastic about the future of Newcastle. The club is in fantastic hands with a great leadership team, and I have no doubt that together, alongside whoever comes in to replace me, they will continue to deliver success on the pitch.

"While my journey as manager has now come to an end, the affinity and love I will always hold for Newcastle United never will. Thank you for everything. I wish the club every success for the future."

Newcastle also confirmed that coaches Jason Tindall, Graeme Jones, Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone, as well as head of performance Dan Hodges, had left their roles. 

Howe joined Newcastle in November 2021, a month after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund bought the club, and went on to oversee 231 matches across all competitions. 

He won 116 of those matches (D43 L72) and helped the club end their 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy by beating Liverpool 2-1 in the 2024-25 EFL Cup final.

Newcastle were also EFL Cup runners-up two years earlier, losing to Erik ten Hag's Manchester United in the showpiece match at Wembley Stadium.

In fact, Howe won 73% of his EFL Cup matches in charge at Newcastle (16/22), the best win ratio by any Magpies manager in that competition. 

Howe also won 84 of his 179 Premier League games in charge of Newcastle, posting a win percentage of 46.9%, a total only the late Kevin Keegan can better (51.2%). 

Newcastle qualified for the Champions League in 2023 and 2025 under Howe, with their most recent appearance in the competition ending in the last 16 following a thumping 8-3 defeat to LaLiga giants Barcelona on aggregate. 

The Magpies added that the process to recruit a new head coach "is at an advanced stage", with further updates to be provided "shortly."

Reports have suggested that their replacement will be Jaissle, who is currently in charge of Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli. 

Jaissle boasts a 66.5% win percentage across his managerial career, having won 165 of his 245 matches in charge of FC Liefering, Salzburg and Al-Ahli. 

Howe's departure comes just under a month before Newcastle begin their Premier League campaign, with Liverpool the visitors to St. James' Park on August 23.