November 02, (THEWILL) – Newcastle United are close to appointing a new manager, and former Arsenal manager Unai Emery has been contacted.
THEWILL recalls that the Magpies fired Steve Bruce on October 20, but since taking over from Mike Ashley, the club’s new owners have been evaluating managerial candidates.
In the interim, assistant manager Graeme Jones has been in command of the club over two matchdays with both ending in losses. Newcastle is now ready to make a permanent appointment, to quickly arrest the slide as the team is still without a win in the Premier League.
Over the last few weeks, Newcastle held formal interviews with Eddie Howe, Lucien Favre, and Paulo Fonseca, and were so satisfied with the trio that they held additional discussions with all parties.
Others, though, have approached Newcastle’s owners, and discussions have taken place with Erik ten Hag, Roberto Martinez, and Leonardo Jardim, either directly or through third-party intermediaries.
Unai Emery is the most recent candidate to appear on the club’s radar, and conversations have begun about succeeding Bruce, despite the Spaniard remaining cautious about the possibility of taking over in the North East during his press conference before Villarreal’s Champions League meeting with Young Boys.
“I don’t know anything about Newcastle,” Emery responded when asked about the possibility of returning to the Premier League.
Newcastle’s players expect their new manager to take over as soon as possible, preferably before the next international break, which begins after this weekend’s match against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Newcastle had been hesitant to start their player search for the January window, according to sources, but that process has already begun.
Steve Nickson, the club’s head of recruiting, is making calls on players that a new manager would like, and it is believed that he is working on predetermined targets, implying that the club has already decided who they want to bring in.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
