- Newcastle United board meeting set for this week
- Eddie Howe’s future is set to be discussed
- Five questions they must ask the 48-year-old
This week is the anticipated meeting with Newcastle United officials, including Magpies chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, which will discuss the future of the club, and more importantly, Eddie Howe.
The Englishman’s position is facing increasing scrutiny each passing week, but recent performances may be the final nail in the coffin for his time on Tyneside.
The man who took over a beast, calmed the initial pressure that came with the takeover, and delivered time and time again, may be on his way out — and for fair reasons too. A team that wants to become one of the best in the world can’t constantly fall apart when reaching European football.
There are no flies on the wall, unfortunately, to know exactly what goes on, but here is a list from ReadNewcastle of five questions which must be asked at the meeting.
1) Do you want to be here next season
A simple question, really, but one that holds a lot of weight. In public, Howe has made it clear that he is the man who can turn the ship around, despite questionable performances of late.
In private, that answer may be different, and if he doesn’t trust his own credentials, or has confidence that a new face can extract more from the current set of players, he might decide on his own terms that enough is enough.
2) What is happening with Woltemade and Wissa?
After Alexander Isak’s departure, which seemed inevitable for weeks before the day he left, the plans failed to be put in place, but the club ended up signing Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade.
The former Brentford striker has flopped massively, while the German has been experimented with in midfield for large portions of the campaign. If that plan has proven a failure, how can they trust him with another busy summer to turn fortunes around, especially when he has shown little promise with last year’s signings?
3) What is going on with injured Anthony Gordon?
The English winger has missed the previous two games through injury, but there is speculation from within the Toon Army that Gordon is simply playing games with the club amid interest from Bayern Munich.
Many fans may accept him leaving this summer, but not being called upon when needed most is not a good look for any party. With the Isak dilemma last year, and potentially Gordon’s now, does it show players are losing faith in Howe?
4) What happened to the club’s attacking philosophy?
One thing that was made clear under the Howe was that exciting football would be played at St James’ Park, with the intent to win each and every game with 100 per cent effort. This has gone down like a lead balloon this season.
Issues were highlighted away at the Camp Nou, as they stepped off against the Catalonian giants and were punished, but matters were made worse when they did it at home against Sunderland in a 2-1 defeat. A reminder is needed of what the club’s DNA is.
5) How can we trust you to take us forward?
The years of 2023 and 2025 signified a period of growth for the team as they battled their way through England to reach impressive feats. 2024 and 2026 were the exact opposite, and there is a common denominator — European football.
A team that wants to achieve greatness under Saudi Arabian ownership can’t fall at the first hurdle. For it to happen once is forgivable, but twice shows signs of decay. If they are to trust Howe, there would need to be evidence of how he can qualify for Europe again, and more importantly, how he can ensure standards are maintained.
In other news, Newcastle United star Joe Willock sends emotional 11-word message to ex Arsenal teammate.
