Sky Sports analysts Gary Neville and Paul Merson have both come out in support of Eddie Howe’s position at Newcastle United, despite a recent dip in form that has seen the Magpies slip from a potential European‑qualification spot to the lower half of the Premier League table. Newcastle delivered a noticeably stronger performance against Arsenal on Saturday’s "Saturday Night Football" broadcast, yet they still fell 1‑0, marking their fourth consecutive league defeat. The string of losses has placed Howe under intense scrutiny, with the club now sitting 14th on the table with 42 points – a mere six points above the relegation zone.
Both pundits, however, argue that the manager should not be dismissed. Merson went so far as to suggest that Chelsea would be eager to hire Howe immediately, noting that the London side is again hunting for a permanent head coach. "I’m a big fan of Eddie Howe and if he leaves, clubs will be lining up around the corner.
Newcastle should be careful," Merson said on the show. "Chelsea would take him all day long. We’ve even talked about him being a future England manager – everyone will be queuing up for his signature. It should be his decision if he wants to move on.
He delivered a trophy for the club for the first time in 70 years." Neville added that he hopes Newcastle and Howe are already planning for the next season and that the Englishman can guide the Magpies back into Champions League contention. Speaking on "The Gary Neville Podcast" from the Emirates Stadium, the former Manchester United defender described the campaign as "really disappointing" and highlighted the club’s problematic transfer activity at the close of the summer window.
"They ended up with Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, and those signings haven’t paid off yet," Neville explained. "I think full faith and trust in Eddie Howe is the way forward. They have a very good manager.
At some clubs you can say ‘let’s change the manager and keep the players because they have long contracts’, but at Newcastle it’s the opposite." Neville warned that losing Howe would be a massive blow: "If we lost him, we’d lose an eight‑and‑a‑half out of ten manager – someone solid, reliable, consistent, with a great attitude." He went on to outline what he believes the club’s next steps should look like: "I hope they sit down with Eddie, go through the squad, and hear him say ‘these are the players I want, these are the areas I need to strengthen, I’d like to bring in four or five new faces, and I want to get the business done early while everyone’s thinking about the World Cup.’" Neville emphasized the importance of backing the manager: "They’re a good side, I enjoy watching them, and they need to be supported properly – the board must buy into his vision. That’s what I’d do if I were Newcastle. I think they have one of the best managers around and he can get them back into a Champions League challenge next season." Howe is scheduled to meet Newcastle’s hierarchy later this week.
When Sky Sports asked him about the upcoming talks, he responded, "These are the meetings we have every year. This one will be a bit tougher for me, I’m sure, but it’ll be good to sit down with the owners and discuss the future." Midfielder Bruno Guimarães offered a candid assessment of Newcastle’s season after the narrow loss to title‑chasing Arsenal.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he admitted the team finally displayed some "passion" but stressed that the overall performance was still insufficient. "It reminded me a little of what we are capable of, but honestly it’s not good enough," Guimarães said. "We have four games left to try and salvage the season and at least aim for European football next year. I know the fans are very sad – we feel the same – and we definitely need to improve." He added, "The spark is still there somewhere; you can see it in training.
We fought well today, but this season we’ve been bouncing between good and bad games. It’s not what we want and it’s not what the fans deserve.
I can see the fire still burning, but we have to show more because it’s not enough. It’s tough when you’re fighting for a trophy, but at least today we showed passion – overall, it’s still not enough." When asked whether he hoped the club would bring in fresh faces after a gruelling schedule across multiple competitions, Guimarães replied, "I hope so. I can’t comment too much as I’m just a player, but we need to improve a lot of things at the club.
We need help." In summary, both Neville and Merson argue that Eddie Howe deserves the club’s confidence despite recent setbacks, warning that losing him could trigger a cascade of interest from top clubs like Chelsea. They stress the necessity of strategic planning, early transfer activity, and unwavering support from the board to restore Newcastle’s ambitions of competing for European places and, ultimately, Champions League football in the near future.