Newcastle says manager Eddie Howe’s job is safe ‘at the moment’

By Canadian Press on March 31, 2026.

NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Eddie Howe’s job as Newcastle manager was safe “at the moment,” chief executive David Hopkinson said on Tuesday.

The Saudi-owned Premier League team also released its latest financial figures showing the club effectively sold St James’ Park to its parent company.

Hopkinson stopped short of giving assurances that Howe, who has been manager since November 2021, will remain in charge beyond the end of this season.

Newcastle is in 12th place in the 20-team Premier League, has just been eliminated from the Champions League in humiliating fashion by Barcelona in the round of 16, and is sure to finish the season without a trophy.

Newcastle’s most recent match was a 2-1 loss at home to fierce rival Sunderland, which ramped up the pressure on Howe.

“Eddie’s our manager,” Hopkinson said. “I expect to have a great run to the end of the season here and we’ll talk about the future when it’s time.”

Asked to clarify his comments, Hopkinson said: “We are not looking to make a change at the moment. We are not having those conversations. We are still in the midst of the season. Right now, we are focused on the seven matches we have remaining and not distracting ourselves with speculation about what we may or may not do in the summer.”

In a group strategic report released by Newcastle covering the 12 months to June 2025, the club said it made a profit after tax of 34.7 million pounds ($45.9 million). That was driven in part by a 44% increase in commercial revenue as turnover rose by 15 million pounds ($20 million) to a record 335.3 million pounds ($444 million) — around half that of England’s biggest teams.

The report also said the decision to effectively sell St James’ Park — Newcastle’s storied stadium close to the city center — to immediate parent company PZ Newco Limited and lease it back was part of a “reorganisation of its property holdings and group structure to facilitate future infrastructure investment.”

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The Associated Press

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