Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United future in doubt

Eddie Howe’s future as Newcastle United manager will be addressed at the end of the season, as he needs to know whether supporters still want him at the club.

David Hopkinson, the Newcastle chief executive, refused to give Howe, who has been criticised by some supporters this season, his unequivocal backing at a press conference coinciding with the release of the club’s latest set of accounts. The Newcastle hierarchy wants to secure European qualification in the league again this season but Howe is not thought to be under internal pressure despite a difficult campaign.

Rather, Hopkinson’s comments are understood to stem from the fact that Howe wants to assess the situation in the summer, given the growing animosity towards him. The 48-year-old has always maintained he will not stay at St James’ Park if fans no longer want him to lead the team. With seven games remaining, Newcastle are 12th in the table, four points behind seventh-placed Brentford.

“I don’t have a stance on his future,” Hopkinson said. “What I can tell you is that the derby loss [to Sunderland] hurt. We take it seriously. There’s nothing within us that thinks ‘well, it’s just three points and on we go’. It has resonated.

“I spent a couple of hours in a one-on-one lunch recently with Eddie and we talked through a multitude of things, including that. Eddie’s our manager. I expect to have a great run to the end of the season here and we’ll talk about the future when it’s time. Right now, we’re focused on this season’s competition.”

Asked to clarify whether that meant Howe’s future would be assessed in the summer, Hopkinson replied: “I would not frame it that way. We are not looking to make a change at the moment. We are not having those conversations.

“We are still in the midst of the season. Right now, we are focused on the seven matches we have remaining and not distracting ourselves with speculation about what we may or may not do in the summer. Right now, all of us have only got so much bandwidth and we are focused on this season and finishing strongly.”

Tonali and Gordon can leave if price is right

Newcastle United have warned clubs looking to sign Sandro Tonali this summer that players will only be sold if bids are too big to refuse.

Several Newcastle players have been linked with moves at the end of the season, with Manchester United and Manchester City both tracking Tonali, while the likes of Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento and captain Bruno Guimarães are also attracting interest from richer rivals.

When asked about player sales, Hopkinson admitted the club will have to be open for business as they look to improve player trading to comply with new financial rules. But he also noted that Newcastle demanded a British record fee of £128m from Liverpool for Alexander Isak last year and will expect similar-sized offers to sell any of their blue-chip players this summer.

“We haven’t got an overall strategy with regards [moving] players out,” said Hopkinson, who was speaking at the release of the club’s accounts for the last financial year. “We think through what players might or might not want to do this summer. But if an Isak-like scenario presents itself again, any player under contract is going to leave on our terms and we’re going to maximise the opportunity that might represent for the club. That absolutely does (mean extracting the maximum price).

“For me, Isak was a good sale (in terms of getting a British record fee). I wasn’t here for the Isak situation, so I don’t want to comment on something I didn’t see first-hand. What I do know is that players that leave this club will need to do so on our terms.”

Newcastle learn lesson from Isak transfer disruption

The messaging represents a shift in tone from the Newcastle hierarchy. A year ago, Hopkinson’s predecessor, Darren Eales, claimed it would be crazy to entertain offers for any of their star players, including Isak.

When Liverpool first showed interest in the Sweden international in July, Newcastle refused to negotiate and insisted he was not for sale, only to buckle at the end of the window when the player went on strike to force through an acrimonious move to Anfield.

Lessons have been learnt. Newcastle’s recruitment was panicked and rushed at the end of the window, leading to the signing of two strikers, Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, who have failed to deliver the goals expected of them this season.

As a result, Newcastle will be more pragmatic and will engage with clubs who express a firm interest in their players while making it clear they will only entertain bids that match their valuations.

Telegraph Sport understands that the asking price for both Tonali and Gordon would exceed £100m each, as they are both under contract until 2030. Livramento, who will have two years left on a deal he has shown no inclination to extend, could be available for around £60m.

Privately, Newcastle do not believe Guimarães will depart and they are likely to discuss a new deal with the Brazil international in the coming months.

Hopkinson added: “Going forward, our strategy is to buy well and sell well. Buying well does not necessarily mean spending the most money. It means working in the marketplace for the players that generate the most value for this club rather than the fee paid for them.

“We are not ready to answer questions on what player trading looks like this summer. We have got to see what set-up we are in, and what opportunities present themselves in the marketplace. What I will tell you is we intend to be as disciplined, active, thoughtful and pro-active as we possibly can, but what’s the outcome going to be? I couldn’t begin to tell you.”

Newcastle’s accounts for the 2024-25 financial year show the club made an after-tax profit of £34.7m. But this was only possible because of “the reorganisation of its property holdings and group structure”, which included selling St James’ Park to another company, PZNH, controlled by the club, for £171.2m.

Selling the leasehold will allow Newcastle to borrow money through PZNH for the construction of a new stadium without saddling the club with debt.

The sale of the leasehold and stadium building also ensured Newcastle was not guilty of a profitability and sustainability rules breach. The Premier League cleared it as a fair market value deal.

The players Newcastle could sell

Anthony Gordon

A strange season for the England winger converted into a centre-forward. Prolific in the Champions League, patchy in the Premier League. Still has 15 goals in all competitions. The suspicion is he has had one eye on the exit since a move to Liverpool fell through in 2024.

Verdict

Sold if someone offers £100m-plus.

Bruno Guimarães

Newcastle’s captain has constantly been linked with other clubs since he arrived in January 2022, but Newcastle have never received a bid. His deep connection with the city and the supporters is a powerful bond, and it is not thought he would agitate to leave.

Verdict

Stays if he gets a new contract.

Sandro Tonali

The noise around the Italy international continues to grow and the midfielder is high on Manchester United’s summer target list. There is a hope that a player under contract until 2030 will stay for at least one more season, but those close to him claim he is open to the idea of a lucrative summer move.

Verdict

Sold if someone bids £100m-plus.

Nick Woltemade

The club’s record signing at £65m started the season superbly but has struggled with the speed and physicality of English football. Newcastle could be willing to listen to offers if a club is willing to get close to matching the fee they paid to Stuttgart.

Verdict

Uncertain.

Yoane Wissa

Wissa has been a huge disappointment since his £55m move from Brentford and has barely played since returning from injury four months ago. He has fallen behind Gordon, Woltemade and Will Osula in the centre-forward pecking order and his future must be in doubt given his lack of game time.

Verdict

Sold or loaned out.

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