Mourinho? Iraola? Who are the Newcastle manager contenders after Eddie Howe sack?
Eddie Howe remains insistent that he can turn things around at Newcastle despite a disastrous summer and season.
Newcastle suffered a fourth consecutive Premier League loss to Arsenal on Saturday and his position feels increasingly untenable.
Time to ask the question, then: who will be the next Newcastle manager? These are the latest odds from Oddschecker.
10=) A whole heap of names
In the ‘we suppose it could happen’ camp are Adi Hutter, Thomas Tuchel, Luis Enrique, Edin Terzic, Cesc Fabregas, Mauricio Pochettino, Kim Hellberg, Marco Rose and pretty much every football manager you could possibly mention.
8=) Gareth Southgate
Remains in the hypothetical running for every hypothetical Premier League manager’s job despite there being no indication whatsoever that he wants to return to management.
8=) Frank Lampard
Has done such a sterling job at Coventry that he has somehow become a viable option for big jobs despite the rather large mess he made at Chelsea last time around. This would at least be intriguing.
7) Kieran McKenna
Really interesting. As a neutral observer, you’d really love to see a big club take a punt on a coach we have a strong suspicion could really fly if given that kind of chance. But you still wouldn’t necessarily want it to be your club taking said punt. It’s a massive gamble, and Newcastle aren’t currently in a position where massive gambles seem wise. Which is a shame, because we honestly think this could be amazing.
6) Xavi
Certainly ticks the ‘statement signing’ box if Newcastle did manage to entice the Barcelona legend back into the coaching game.
5) Marco Silva
We are fascinated to know if Silva can or will manage anyone other than Fulham. We suspect he can’t and won’t.
4) Roberto Mancini
If winning the Premier League title by 2030 is the stated target then they could do worse than appointing a former champion in his own right.
3) Oliver Glasner
He’s so far kept his reputation intact thanks to all of his best players leaving with the carpet that’s been pulled from underneath him at Crystal Palace. Any sort of uptick in Palace’s form in what remains of the season will ensure he’s in the running for a job of this magnitude.
1=) Andoni Iraola
Currently doing sterling work with Bournemouth and it does feel like it’s probably a matter of time before someone with deeper pockets and grander ambitions wants to see what he’s made of. Newcastle feels just about perfect – and they might have put out the feelers after the Cherries triumphed at St James’ Park. But then there’s Chelsea who fancy a bit of him and the lure is strong.
1=) Jose Mourinho
This has felt inevitable for an awful long time. Mourinho describes himself as a “little Magpie”, having a string affinity with Newcastle since he formed a strong bond with Sir Bobby Robson many moons ago. His personality would certainly be the antithesis to Eddie Howe. It’s either Newcastle or, erm, Real Madrid.
