Newcastle not looking to make Howe change at moment - CEO

By Chronicle Sport Staff

Newcastle United chief executive David Hopkinson has insisted the club are “not looking to make a change at the moment” regarding head coach Eddie Howe, but stopped short of offering an unequivocal vote of confidence as the Magpies battle through a bruising Premier League campaign.

Howe, appointed in November 2021, has guided Newcastle to back-to-back Champions League qualifications in 2023 and 2025 and ended the club’s 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy by lifting the EFL Cup last season. Yet a chastening 7-2 defeat at Barcelona in mid-March, followed four days later by a 2-1 home loss to bitter rivals Sunderland, has left the squad 12th in the table and prompted audible dissent from sections of the St James’ Park faithful.

Speaking after the release of the club’s financial results for the year ending June 2025, Hopkinson said the derby defeat “hurt” and confirmed he recently spent two hours in private discussion with Howe about the club’s direction. “Eddie is our manager,” Hopkinson stated. “I expect to have a great run to the end of the season here and we will talk about the future when it’s time. Right now, we’re focused on this season’s competition.”

Newcastle have seven fixtures remaining and trail seventh place by four points, leaving European qualification a realistic objective. Howe and sporting director Ross Wilson are already mapping out summer transfer strategy for two scenarios—qualifying or missing out on continental competition—with priority placed on refreshing an ageing spine of the squad. Doubts linger over several key players, including midfielder Sandro Tonali, though the Italian is effectively contracted for four more years should the club trigger an optional 12-month extension.

The hierarchy is determined to avoid a repeat of last summer’s saga in which record-scorer Alexander Isak forced a British-record £125 million move to Liverpool. Newcastle subsequently invested £124 million in forwards Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, yet the attack has struggled to replicate Isak’s output. Hopkinson warned future want-away stars will depart only on the club’s terms: “Any player under contract is going to leave on our terms. We’re going to maximise the opportunity that might represent for the club.”

Off the pitch, Newcastle posted record revenues of £335.3 million and an after-tax profit of £34.7 million, aided by the internal sale of the St James’ Park leasehold to a related entity. Officials insist the manoeuvre was designed to streamline future stadium redevelopment rather than to satisfy Premier League profitability rules, though the club remains in discussions with UEFA over potential breaches of European financial regulations.

Despite the record turnover, Newcastle’s income still lags far behind the elite: Liverpool generated £703 million, while Manchester City’s commercial revenue alone exceeded Newcastle’s entire turnover. Hopkinson conceded the gulf is sizeable but believes the club’s commercial “headroom” offers a pathway to compete for the biggest prizes by 2030. “We’ve got to work harder. We’ve got to work smarter with high conviction and energy every single day to capture that headroom,” he said.

With a lighter schedule ahead, Howe—renowned for meticulous coaching blocks—will hope to galvanise a squad that recently fought on four fronts. The CEO reiterated the club will not allow summer speculation to distract from the season run-in, yet his refusal to fully back the manager beyond the current campaign ensures scrutiny will persist until results improve.

Newcastle’s season is far from over; whether Howe remains the man to bridge the gap to the Premier League’s financial superpowers could depend on how emphatically the team finishes the final seven games.