Head coach burns bridges with friends at Liverpool

Eddie Howe’s once-close ties to Liverpool’s hierarchy have fractured beyond repair, sources have confirmed, effectively removing the Newcastle United manager from any future shortlist at Anfield. According to The i Paper, relationships that stretch back to the early 2000s—when Howe, FSG CEO of football Michael Edwards and current Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes were all at Portsmouth—have been “burned” by last summer’s protracted pursuit of Alexander Isak.

Liverpool’s recruitment team, determined to land the Swedish striker, mounted a sustained campaign that included repeated media briefings designed to pressure Newcastle into a sale. The strategy prompted Isak to go on strike, turning the saga into what one insider labelled “a horrible transfer window that benefitted no party.” While Newcastle ultimately retained their star forward, the fallout has lingered.

The deterioration of personal rapport has carried professional consequences. Although Howe was briefly considered as a viable candidate to succeed Jürgen Klopp before Arne Slot’s appointment, the damaged relationships now rule him out entirely. With Newcastle’s form dipping this season, the 46-year-old’s stock has fallen further, yet insiders stress that the decisive factor is the rift with his former Portsmouth colleagues rather than results on Tyneside.

For Liverpool, the episode underscores how off-pitch manoeuvres can close doors as decisively as on-pitch performances. For Howe, a pathway once illuminated by decades-long friendships has been closed, perhaps permanently.