Eddie Howe in shock exit as Newcastle United head coach

Newcastle United's Eddie Howe has left his job as head coach, Sky Sports understands.

Howe and club bosses reportedly held talks over the past two days but he started planning for a potential departure a number of weeks ago, Sky Sports reports.

German coach Matthias Jaissle, of Saudi side Al Ahli, is favourite to replace him.

Stars Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon were both sold by Newcastle over the summer, with captain Bruno Guimaraes also linked with a move to Arsenal.

The Magpies also sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a record £125m last season.

Howe joined in November 2021 and ended Newcastle's 70-year wait for a trophy by winning the Carabao Cup and also took them into the Champions League twice.

But Barcelona overwhelmed them in the knock-out stages last season and they ended up 12th in the Premier League.

They were also beaten 4-1 by Bristol City in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday night.

Newcastle are nearly entirely owned by the Saudi government's Public Investment Fund, which also owns Al Ahli.

Jaissle, 38, joined the Jeddah-based team in 2023 and Sky Sports understands talks over the Newcastle job are at an advanced stage.

Howe, 48, is one of the most highly regarded English coaches and before heading to Tyneside took Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League.

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Former Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna and ex-Chelsea boss Antonio Conte were also believed to have been on the shortlist.

Newcastle's first game of the new season is at home to Liverpool on 23 August, followed by a journey to Spurs a week later.

Before that, they have friendlies against Valencia (8 August), Everton (12 August), Leverkusen (15 August) and Strasbourg (16 August).

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