Gary Neville and former England midfielder Paul Merson have both come out in defence of Eddie Howe, the Newcastle United manager, despite a recent dip in form that has seen the Magpies slide from European contention to the lower half of the Premier League table. Their comments were made on Sky Sports' "Saturday Night Football" programme, where they discussed the club's current predicament and the future of its head coach.
Newcastle's most recent outing was a tightly contested match against Arsenal, which ended in a 1-0 defeat. Although the performance was markedly better than previous games, the loss marked the fourth consecutive Premier League defeat for the side.
The result has left the team sitting 14th in the league with 42 points, a mere six points above the relegation zone. Both pundits stressed that the recent string of setbacks should not be enough to trigger Howe's dismissal. Merson went a step further, suggesting that if Howe were to leave, Chelsea would be among the first clubs to make a move for him. "I'm a big fan of Eddie Howe and if he leaves, they will be queuing up around the corner.
Be careful Newcastle," Merson said. He added, "Chelsea would take him all day long. We were talking about him being the next England manager.
Everyone will be queueing up to take him. It should be his decision if he wants to leave.
He won a trophy for the club for the first time in 70 years." Neville echoed the sentiment that Newcastle should stand firmly behind their manager and begin planning for the next season. He believes Howe has the capacity to guide the Magpies back into Champions League contention. In a separate interview on the Gary Neville Podcast recorded at the Emirates Stadium, Neville described the campaign as "really disappointing" and pointed to a problematic transfer window in the summer. He noted that signings such as Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa have yet to make a decisive impact.
"I think full faith and trust in Eddie Howe is the way to go," Neville said. He argued that while some clubs might opt to replace a manager and retain the playing staff, Newcastle's situation is the opposite: the manager is the valuable asset. "If we lost him, we've lost an eight-and-a-half out of 10 manager, someone who's a real solid performer – reliable, consistent, someone who's got a great attitude," Neville continued.
Neville also suggested that Howe should be given the freedom to shape the squad for the upcoming season. "I hope they're sitting down with Eddie Howe and they're going through the squad and he's saying 'these are the players I want, these are the players I'm going to buy for next season, I want to get these four or five in, and I want our business done early while everyone's thinking about the World Cup'." He added that the club must back Howe financially and strategically, stating, "They're a really good side, I like watching them and they're going to need to back their manager properly, buy into him, back him.
That's what I'd do if I were Newcastle because I think they've got one of the very best managers and I think he'll get them back up challenging for the Champions League next season." Howe himself acknowledged that discussions with the Newcastle board are a regular part of the season, but admitted this one might be more challenging. "These are things we always have every year. This one will be slightly harder for me, I'm sure, but it'll be good to meet with the owners and discuss the future," he told Sky Sports. Midfielder Bruno Guimarães offered a candid assessment of the team's performance, noting that despite showing "passion" in the narrow loss to Arsenal, the overall standard was not sufficient.
"This reminded me a little bit of what we are able to do but, to be fair, it's not good enough, our season, I know it. We have four games to save it and at least try to qualify for European football next season," Guimarães said.
He expressed empathy with the fans, acknowledging their disappointment and emphasizing the need for consistency: "We have been bouncing between a good game and a bad game. It's not what we want and it's not what the fans deserve." When asked about the prospect of new signings to rejuvenate the squad after a grueling schedule, Guimarães replied, "I hope so. I cannot comment too much as I'm just a player but I think we have to improve a lot of things in the club.
We need help." In summary, both Neville and Merson argue that Eddie Howe deserves patience and backing from Newcastle's hierarchy. They highlight his past success—most notably the historic trophy that broke a 70-year drought—and suggest that his departure would ignite a bidding war among top clubs, with Chelsea mentioned as a likely destination. The consensus among the pundits is that the club should use the upcoming transfer window to strengthen the squad, give Howe the tools he needs, and aim for a resurgence that could see Newcastle back in the hunt for European competition next season.