Newcastle were 'preparing for months' for Howe departure
Eddie Howe ended Newcastle United’s 70-year wait to win a major domestic trophy by lifting the Carabao Cup in 2025
Newcastle United sporting director Ross Wilson says the club were preparing for former head coach Eddie Howe’s departure for up to nine months.
Although Howe had originally intended to carry on this season, the drained manager decided to step down in July because he felt it was in the best interests of all parties for him to take a break.
It was a summer of huge change, as several key players departed, but Newcastle did not envisage Howe leaving when he did following nearly five years in charge.
However, Wilson is adamant the Englishman’s exit was not “chaotic” or “painful” because the club had a contingency plan in place, which led to the appointment of Matthias Jaissle.
“We always knew where we were going to go,” Wilson said. “That doesn’t mean we were always going to Matthias, but he was always part of our planning.
“Part of our responsibility as leaders of the club is to be prepared and Eddie is an exceptionally talented coach.
“That means he was probably going to do something else at some point so we had to be prepared for that.”
Newcastle spoke to multiple candidates, but Wilson said Jaissle emerged as their first-choice to replace a “legend of the club”.
The Scot, who was appointed in October, said he had “been planning for a managerial change for eight or nine of those months” in the background.
Newcastle’s hierarchy always knew they wanted Howe’s eventual successor to build on the foundations he put in place with an aggressive, high-pressing playing style.
Jaissle also had a history of developing younger players, particularly during his previous spell at Red Bull Salzburg, which aligned with Newcastle’s strategy of targeting signings aged 24 and under.
Following Wilson’s first meeting with Jaissle, who joined from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, Newcastle chief executive David Hopkinson told him he sounded “really excited about this one”.
“I didn’t deliberately go on the phone to do that,” Wilson said. “But I remember saying ‘you’re probably right. I think this is it’.”
Jaissle remains unbeaten in his first four games in charge of Newcastle in all competitions.
However, only three of the club’s eight summer signings - Lukas Hornicek, Amar Dedic and Nico Gonzalez - started in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth.
It felt like a reminder of the time it will take some of the new arrivals to bed in during what Jaissle has repeatedly called a “transition phase”.
Newcastle have forecast a range of financial scenarios, depending on where the club finish this season, but Wilson maintained the German has not been set a specific target for the campaign.
Hopkinson, though, reiterated that Newcastle’s ultimate ambition is to “consistently and credibly compete” for the top honours in the long run.
After entering into a Uefa settlement, following a breach of the European football governing body’s financial rules, Hopkinson stressed Newcastle needed to be compliant with the game’s regulations to do so.
The Magpies have set out to boost revenues by 50% between now and 2030 - mainly through sponsorship deals - but trading players will remain a key part of the club’s strategy in order to reinvest.
“We want to have players here who are on a journey with us,” Wilson said.
“Equally, if some of those players’ journeys go at rapid speed, they might go somewhere else but, of course, that’s normal. That’s part of football.”
Although Newcastle had prepared for the departures of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, to Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, the club had never planned to lose talisman Bruno Guimaraes.
Newcastle also had to readjust during the window after top targets Victor Munoz and Johan Manzambi joined Liverpool and Aston Villa respectively.
However, aside from Guimaraes going to Arsenal, Wilson claimed “everything else that happened during the window was part of the plan”.
“That does not mean that every single player [who signed] was the number one name on our list, but that is never the case in any transfer window,” he said.
“Clearly we were disappointed a couple of times but, again, that’s normal.
“No club goes into the window and reaches the end getting every target they set out to get. If they say they did, it is a lie.”
