Gary Neville and former England midfielder Paul Merson have both publicly thrown their support behind Eddie Howe, the Newcastle United manager, even though the Magpies have endured a dismal spell that has seen them slip from European contention to the lower half of the Premier League table. Newcastle’s recent display against Arsenal on Saturday’s edition of "Saturday Night Football" showed clear signs of improvement, yet the visitors still fell 1-0, marking their fourth straight league defeat. The string of setbacks has placed Howe under intense scrutiny, with the club now sitting 14th with 42 points – a mere six points above the relegation zone.
Despite the pressure, neither pundit believes the coach should be dismissed. Merson went so far as to suggest that Chelsea would be eager to hire Howe immediately as they continue their search for a permanent manager. "I’m a huge fan of Eddie Howe and if he decides to leave, clubs will be lining up around the corner. Newcastle need to be careful," Merson said during the broadcast.
"Chelsea would take him all day long. We’ve even talked about him being a future England boss.
Everyone will be queuing to snap him up. It should be his decision if he wants to move on – after all, he delivered a trophy for the club for the first time in 70 years." Neville, meanwhile, urged Newcastle to start planning for the next season and to give Howe the resources required to return the team to Champions League contention.
Speaking on his podcast recorded at the Emirates over the weekend, the former Manchester United defender lamented the club’s transfer dealings. "It’s a really disappointing season," Neville said. "The summer window was a nightmare for them. They ended up with Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, and those signings haven’t paid off yet." He continued, "I think full faith and trust in Eddie Howe is the way forward.
They have a top‑class 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. If they lose Howe they lose an eight‑and‑a‑half out of ten manager – solid, reliable, consistent, with a great attitude." Neville stressed the importance of a strategic squad review, "I hope they sit down with Eddie, go through the squad and he tells them which players he wants to keep, which ones he wants to shift, and which new faces he’d like to bring in for next season. They need to get those deals done early while everyone’s still thinking about the World Cup." He added, "They’re a very good side, I enjoy watching them, and they need to back their manager properly.
That’s what I’d do if I were Newcastle – they have one of the best managers around and I believe he can get them back into the Champions League race next season." Howe is scheduled to meet Newcastle’s board later this week. When Sky Sports asked him about the upcoming talks, he responded, "These meetings happen every year. This one will be a bit tougher for me, I’m sure, but it’ll be good to sit with the owners and discuss the future." Midfielder Bruno Guimarães offered a candid assessment of the campaign, acknowledging that the team finally displayed "passion" in the narrow loss to title‑chasing Arsenal. Speaking to Sky Sports, Guimarães said, "It reminded me a little of what we’re capable of, but honestly it’s not good enough.
I know our season isn’t where we want it to be. We have four games left to try and secure European football for next season." He continued, "The fans are as sad as we are, and we have to improve.
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 performances.
It’s not what we want, and it’s not what the fans deserve." Guimarães added, "I can see the fire still burning, but we need to show more consistency. It’s not easy when you’re fighting for a trophy. At least today we showed passion, but overall it wasn’t enough." When asked whether he hoped the club would bring in fresh talent after a grueling schedule across multiple competitions, Guimarães replied, "I hope so.
I can’t comment much as I’m just a player, but we need to improve many aspects of the club. We need help." Both Neville and Merson’s comments underline a shared belief that Newcastle should stick with Howe, give him the backing he needs, and use the upcoming transfer window to strengthen the squad. Their messages suggest that dismissing Howe now would be a short‑sighted move that could see the club lose one of the most competent managers in the league. Instead, the emphasis is on continuity, strategic planning, and a renewed push for Champions League qualification in the 2024‑25 season.
In summary, the consensus among the two former players is clear: Newcastle United should retain Eddie Howe, reinforce the team around his vision, and aim to translate the occasional flashes of brilliance—like the performance against Arsenal—into a consistent, title‑challenging campaign.