Eddie Howe's Departure: Alan Shearer's Shock and the Future of Newcastle United

Alan Shearer has seen most things at Newcastle United. This, though, stopped him in his tracks.

Eddie Howe, the man who dragged a sinking club away from relegation and on to trophy glory, is stepping down with less than three weeks to go before the new season. For the club’s greatest goalscorer, the timing makes no sense.

“I’m very, very surprised with the news that Eddie Howe is leaving Newcastle,” Shearer told Betfair, still processing the shock. “I guess it's strange timing with three weeks to go until the new season kicks off.

“I don't know what's gone on… I’m led to believe it was Eddie’s decision to leave.”

That uncertainty hangs over everything. Was it the end of last season? The summer? The steady drip of key players being sold? Even Shearer, as plugged into the mood on Tyneside as anyone, can only join the dots from the outside.

What he is sure about is what Howe leaves behind.

From relegation fear to Wembley glory

When Howe walked through the doors in 2021, Newcastle were staring down the barrel. Relegation was not a threat; it was a probability. He changed that, calmly at first, then with growing ambition.

“He steadied the ship,” Shearer said. “He then got us climbing the league. He then brought in some wonderful players.”

The progress was relentless. Survival. Then a charge up the table. Then a cup final. Then another.

Newcastle’s 70-year wait for a major trophy ended in 2025, Howe delivering the Carabao Cup and a day that, for Shearer, will live with anything he experienced in black and white.

“What I would say is thank you. Thank you to Eddie for what he's given us,” he said. “He gave me my best day as a Newcastle fan with that day at Wembley. He's given us some incredible nights in the Champions League that we'll never ever forget.

“I think the job that he did was unbelievable from where he took us when he came, there was a real threat of relegation… He then took us to a final; we got beaten in that final, but then took us back again and gave us the day that we've so craved for.

“Whatever happens now, the Geordies will always be grateful for what he gave us that day.”

It is rare to hear Shearer, usually measured in his assessments, speak with that kind of emotional weight. It underlines the scale of the rupture.

Stars leaving, questions mounting

Howe’s exit does not come in isolation. It lands in the middle of a summer that already has Newcastle fans on edge.

“I don’t think it’s a great look for what's happening at the minute with Newcastle,” Shearer admitted. “We're selling all our best players. The fans are seeing [Alexander] Isak go, the fans are seeing [Sandro] Tonali go, the fans are seeing [Anthony] Gordon go.”

The pattern is obvious, and so is the fear. If those departures are a trend rather than a one-off flurry, what happens next?

“My guess is it’s probably only a matter of time before Bruno [Guimaraes] goes,” Shearer said, voicing the anxiety many supporters already feel. “Because he'll look at what's happening with all those players and look at what's happening with Eddie and think, 'Well, from a personal point of view, from his point of view, I guess I'm going to be next.'”

The worry is not just about one midfielder. It is about the message the club is sending to its best players, to the fanbase, and to the rest of the league. A project that once felt like it was building towards something now looks like it is being stripped back, piece by piece.

Jaissle linked – and a warning

Into that storm steps the name of Matthias Jaissle. The Al-Ahli coach, just 38, is reported to be the frontrunner to replace Howe. He has already tasted success in Austria and Saudi Arabia, his reputation rising fast.

But the Premier League is a different animal, and Shearer is not blind to the size of the leap.

“I think we have to be careful if that is the case not to pile on,” he said of the German. “Clearly, he's very young and inexperienced. The Premier League is a beast of a league. It's a big ask for anyone to come in and take over after what Eddie's done.”

That last line is key. This is not just any job opening. Howe has raised expectations, raised standards, raised belief. Whoever comes next walks into a dressing room and a fanbase conditioned to look upwards, not over their shoulder.

A plea for stability

Strip away the noise and Shearer’s message is simple. Newcastle need to stop lurching from one jolt to the next.

“What I would like is stability,” he said. “I would like to keep hold of our better players, but I understand, and I get that from their point of view now, that they'll be looking at the situation and thinking, 'Hang on a minute, what's going on at this football club?' And I get that and understand that. So, I would like some stability.”

The word hangs there: stability. Not another headline. Not another departure. Not another twist.

Howe has already written his chapter, one that runs from relegation fear to Wembley glory and Champions League nights under the lights. The question now is whether Newcastle can stop the unravelling long enough to decide what the next chapter is supposed to be.