- Newcastle United next manager favourites
- Two current Premier League managers included
- 2x Champions League winner is frontrunner
Following yet another disappointing Newcastle United defeat against Crystal Palace yesterday, the rumour mill has begun to swirl even more vigorously surrounding the future of under-pressure boss Eddie Howe.
As is the way with modern football, everybody has their opinion on who the Magpies should be looking at to replace Howe at the helm heading into next season, should he be sacked.
It seems increasingly likely that Howe will be relieved of his duties when the season ends, especially with European qualification looking a forlorn hope at this stage.
So let’s take a look at some of the candidates currently tipped most likely to take the Newcastle job.
The favourites for Newcastle United job
Jose Mourinho – favourite – 4/1
Mourinho is currently the favourite to take over at Newcastle. The current Benfica boss has been continuously linked with the Magpies’ job since the takeover back in 2021.
The Portuguese coach is currently the boss at Benfica, where he is leading his side to an invincible season as it stands. Benfica reside in 3rd place, seven points off top club Porto.
‘The Special One’ has been vocal about his openness to returning to the Premier League in recent times, stating he wants to manage a club outside of the ‘big 6’. Newcastle could well be the perfect fit for Mourinho given his affiliation to the club through Sir Bobby Robson.
Oliver Glasner – 7/1
Glasner has made it clear he will not be managing Crystal Palace next season, having fallen out with the board after not feeling like he was backed last summer.
It would be rather ironic if Glasner did end up as Howe’s successor if he were sacked, given the pivotal defeat his side handed the Magpies at the weekend.
The Eagles boss has been linked with other Premier League jobs since the announcement that he will leave Palace. The most prominent of which is the Manchester United job following the current interim period of Michael Carrick.
Andoni Iraola – 7/1
Iraola has been regularly spoken about in conversations around the Newcastle job, but more as a ‘what if’ rather than an apparent concrete possibility and interest.
The bookies seem quite high on Iraola at the moment, which could suggest there is more to the links than merely fantasy.
Iraola is widely considered one of the top bosses outside of the big clubs, with his solid job at Bournemouth turning the heads of fans and other clubs across the division.
The Cherries’ manager may fancy a move to Newcastle as he looks to climb the footballing ladder, with the club having massive ambitions over the next few years.
Iraola will likely have the choice of openings should he wish to explore his options. Newcastle may face competition from some of the world’s biggest clubs for his services.
Marco Silva – 10/1
Silva’s Fulham journey has been a positive one to date. He has largely outperformed the means of the club during his time in London and has taken some poor-looking squads to some very solid Premier League finishes.
He has been at the club since 2021 now and could be open to a new challenge come the end of the season.
With the greater resources available at a club like Newcastle and the prospect of being a central figure to the project’s breakthrough, it could be an attractive prospect to the Portuguese boss.
It does feel as if Newcastle would target a bigger name if Howe were sacked. That may rule out Marco Silva, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Magpies at least explore the option going forward.
Kieran McKenna – 16/1
Perhaps the most risky of the favoured options is Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna.
McKenna has been Ipswich manager since 2021, seeing them through League One, the Championship and a Premier League campaign so far.
He is embroiled in a promotion battle to make it back to the promised land of the Premier League this season, with his side currently sitting in second place and on an excellent run of form of late.
McKenna is largely unproven at the highest level but has shown the ability to take a club through the stages of a rebuild, as he has done at Ipswich.
He could be an option Newcastle look at, but for the most part, it likely wouldn’t be the sort of manager the fans would be hoping for to replace Howe.
In other news, Jamie O’Hara slams two Newcastle United players after ‘shambolic’ defeat to Crystal Palace.
