Newcastle United are in need of wholesale changes this summer and a growing portion of the fanbase believe manager Eddie Howe should be one of those.
The Magpies’ loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday built on the recent unceremonious dumping out of the Champions League by Barcelona in a 7-2 defeat in Catalunya on Wednesday night and the 2-1 defeat to derby rivals Sunderland.
Howe has done a superb job since being appointed in November 2021, replacing Steve Bruce and becoming the face of the Saudi-takeover era. Since then, the former AFC Bournemouth boss led the club to a historic Carabao Cup title and two seasons of Champions League football.
Magpies fans will be forever grateful for Howe but the time has perhaps come for change. The 2025/26 campaign suggests that Newcastle United have juiced everything they can from the manager and, to continue the progress seen since the takeover, a new face could be the answer.
Newcastle United should consider Enzo Maresca appointment
That could come in Enzo Maresca. The Italian coach remains out of work since leaving Chelsea by mutual agreement at the start of January.
Maresca quit Stamford Bridge amid a difference in vision with the club’s chiefs, and not because of results. The 46-year-old remains very highly rated, having won the Conference League and Club World Cup in 2025.
It’s not just the trophies that make Maresca an appealing option for Newcastle United. The manager’s no-nonsense approach could help rid the club of a worrying apathy beginning to be shown by some first team players.
When arriving at Chelsea in 2024, Maresca was not afraid to oust underperforming players to the bomb squad or green light sales. He said: “I am not working with 42 players. I am working with 21 players.
“The other 15-20 players are training apart. I don’t see them. It’s not a mess like it looks from outside. Absolutely not. They can even have 20 years contract, it’s not my point. I don’t care.”
Maresca is the type of character to wring changes, and Newcastle United certainly need them. If Magpies fans need convincing, look no further than the words of club legend Alan Shearer.
Alan Shearer on Maresca ‘masterclass’ at Chelsea
After the Chelsea manager secured a 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup Final, Shearer labelled the side’s tactics a ‘masterclass’. He said: “It was a masterclass from Maresca because PSG went in, their football has worked all season and why not? Why should they change anything?
“But I think the little tweaks from Maresca, they’re pressing high and all those things, and I just think it worked perfectly for them and he deserves huge credit, not only for the job he’s done in this competition, but for the whole season.
“I don’t think anyone knew what to expect because you know what happens at Chelsea, it’s happened before: if you don’t win things, you know exactly what happens. You’re in there for a reason and know how it’s going to work. He’s done a magnificent job, he really has.”
Just how much Maresca got out of his Chelsea side is underlined by the fact that the Blues were thrashed 8-2 on aggregate by the same PSG side last month. Speaking after that result, Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez lamented the dismissal of Maresca.
Enzo Fernandez heaps praise on Maresca ‘identity’
Commenting on the manager’s drive for identity, in words that should be music to the ears of Magpies fans, Fernandez said: “I don’t understand it [his departure]. Sometimes there are things that we as players don’t understand, how and in what way they try to manage things.
“Obviously, it was a departure that hurt us a lot … especially in the middle of the season, it cuts everything short.
“We had an identity. He gave us an order, even though, as is the way of football, sometimes it’s good and bad. But he always had a very clear identity when it came to training and playing.”
All the signs seem to point to the appointment of Maresca being a positive one, but Newcastle United may have to battle Manchester City to do that.
Pep Guardiola has another year left on his contract at the Etihad Stadium but, if a Carabao Cup win is followed up with a Premier League triumph, the manager could leave on a high.
Should that happen, Manchester City are said to have identified Maresca as the ideal replacement with the coach having previously worked with the club’s under-21 side and as Guardiola’s assistant.
In a season that has lacked ambition, a move to replace Howe with Maresca – and beat Manchester City to his signature in the process – would be a brilliant sign of intent from Newcastle United.
In other news, Paul Merson defends Eddie Howe and calls Newcastle United fans ‘ridiculous’.
