Manager Howe to leave Newcastle with immediate effect

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is set to leave the club with immediate effect, sources have told BBC Sport.Howe came under pressure last season as Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League after losing 17 of their 38 games.The 48-year-old's final match in charge was a 4-1 defeat by Bristol City in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.Well-placed sources have indicated a measure of surprise from Howe at the club's transfer business so far this summer, though he was aware of the necessity for the club to sell players.Earlier this year, Howe decided to remain at St James' Park regardless of the inevitably of sales, but his perspective changed over the summer.Newcastle spent in the region of £240m on new players 12 months ago, but Howe was left frustrated by the departure of striker Alexander Isak to Liverpool.Howe has lost two key players this summer - Sandro Tonali to Tottenham and Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, while Arsenal are chasing captain Bruno Guimaraes.Howe replaced Steve Bruce as manager in November 2021, and ended Newcastle's 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy by winning the 2025 Carabao Cup.He led the Magpies to Champions League qualification in 2023 and 2025.Last season, Newcastle reached the last-16 of the Champions League before losing 8-3 on aggregate to Barcelona.Their EFL Cup defence ended in the semi-finals, but their league performance was severely underwhelming after finishing fifth in 2024-25.