Eddie Howe’s exit shows Newcastle may never compete at top of Premier League, the owners’ 2030 title dream is impossible

WHEN Eddie Howe agreed to take the reins at stricken Newcastle United nearly five years ago, he did not do so with the aim of treading water. He had a vision, backed by the new Saudi money after the miserable years under Mike Ashley, and he was raring to go having taken a year out of the game. Eddie Howe departs Newcastle just weeks ahead of the season Credit: PA The ex-Bournemouth boss arrived in 2021 with dreams of glory Credit: PA We sat together in a hotel from where you could see across to St James’s Park in the Tyneside night and Howe’s eyes lit up at the sight of the cathedral on the hill. This was where he was meant to be, this was the big job he had always wanted. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! For over an hour we chewed the fat and I left in no doubt that this man would spend every waking minute to try and make Newcastle great. Not for a moment could that total commitment ever be questioned. He also delivered us a first domestic trophy for 70 years and no Newcastle fan will ever forget the date, March 16, 2025, when we put Liverpool to the sword at Wembley. But this is a man who knew he was spent. Howe did not have a hope of delivering on the hierarchy’s brief to bag the Premier League title by 2030, especially when the best players were being sold and replaced by untested youngsters. He had given it a go and given us some memorable Champions League nights too but, no matter how rich the club’s owners are, financial restrictions mean it will be years before Newcastle can compete right at the top, if ever. Most read in Football BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Howe, 48, delivered League Cup success for the toon Credit: Reuters As when he decided to leave Bournemouth, a team he’d transformed, Howe realised his part in the project was over. Friends say he has gone with sadness and a somewhat flat feeling ahead of the new season but that there is no ill-will towards the club. Howe told them he was ready to go and they were free to replace him. He was also aware they had got a new man in place he just didn’t know it was going to be confirmed this morning. Howe doesn’t know what he will do next but he needs a break. Whenever he goes back to St James’s, either as a guest or as boss of a new club, he can be guaranteed a rapturous reception from all four corners of the ground. Maybe he doesn’t quite qualify for a statue like Jackie Milburn, Bobby Robson or Alan Shearer but he certainly deserves a very large picture in the entrance lobby. EDDIE HOWE'S RECORD AT NEWCASTLE EDDIE HOWE will forever be a Newcastle legend after leading the Toon to their first trophy in 70 years. But that Carabao Cup win, and two Champions League qualifications, weren’t enough to keep everyone happy on Tyneside. Here is Howe’s Newcastle record: Premier League 2021-22 – 11th (19th when he took over) 2022-23 – 4th 2023-24 – 7th 2024-25 – 5th 2025-26 – 12th Trophies won Carabao Cup 2024-25 Comment now