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Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has come under some scrutiny at times this season because the 2025/26 campaign has not gone to plan.

Losing Alexander Isak to Liverpool for £125m did not help his preparations for the season, but the Magpies are 13th in the Premier League as it stands, after finishing fifth last term.

Despite the team’s disappointing performance in the top-flight so far this season, Howe is reportedly being looked at by another Premier League club.

Premier League giants looking at Eddie Howe

According to Football Insider, Chelsea are eyeing up the Newcastle United head coach as a potential replacement for Enzo Maresca this month.

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The report claims that Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior is currently the favourite for the role at Stamford Bridge, but Howe is being considered as a manager who has experience in the Premier League.

It adds that, as mentioned earlier, the Newcastle boss has been criticised by some supporters on social media for his performance in the dugout this season, but that has not deterred Chelsea from holding an interest in him.

Football Insider notes that it remains to be seen if Howe would be willing to leave the Magpies midway through a season, though, so it is unclear if he would be interested in joining Chelsea at this time.

PIF, though, could see this as an opportunity to finally land an upgrade on Howe by allowing him to join the Blues before swooping for another manager from the Premier League.

The Premier League manager Newcastle should replace Howe with

Football Insider reported in December that Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola could be the frontrunner for the job at St. James’ Park if Howe were to depart, whether by being poached or sacked.

Journalist James Horncastle, via John Brewin of the Libero podcast, claimed that he is the “best coach in the Premier League”, and you can see the logic behind such a bold claim.

Some supporters may see that Bournemouth have failed to win in their last 11 Premier League matches and not be too enthralled with the idea of him being the next Newcastle boss, but the context is important.

Whilst Howe did lose Isak in the summer, Iraola lost Ilya Zabarnyi to PSG, Dango Ouattara to Brentford, Milos Kerkez to Liverpool, Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid, and Kepa Arrizabalaga’s loan came to an end.

This shows that the 4-2-3-1 manager lost more or less half of his best starting XI in one summer, which was always going to make it difficult for the Cherries to kick on, yet they are still nine points clear of the relegation zone.

Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth success

Season

xPTS

xPositon

25/26

29

8th

24/25

63

6th

23/24

53

9th

Iraola replaces O’Neil

22/23

34

20th

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, Iraola took over a team that had the lowest xPTS in the Premier League under Gary O’Neil in the 2022/23 campaign, and coached successive top-half finishes, based on performances.

With half of the season to go, the Spaniard still has the chance to make it three improved xPTS finishes in succession, unless Newcastle swoop in to take him away from the Vitality.

Whilst Iraola has significantly improved Bournemouth’s performance levels from where they were when he took the job, Newcastle’s underlying numbers have been regressing each season.

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The Magpies were third on xPTS in the 2022/23 campaign, fourth in the 2023/24 season, fifth in the 2024/25 term, and they are currently sixth on xPTS, per FotMob.

Whilst these are still strong numbers in isolation, it is a concerning trend that suggests that Howe is not improving the team with the resources that he has, unlike Iraola at Bournemouth.

That is why PIF should take advantage of Chelsea’s reported interest in Howe to part ways with the League Cup-winning boss before Newcastle’s performances get even worse.

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Now could be the perfect time for the Magpies to strike by swapping out their manager, whose performance data is regressing, to appoint a Premier League boss who has improved his side significantly and has done a stellar job given the circumstances.

An all-round show from the Matabeleland Tuskers carried them to a convincing win over the Mountaineers in the first round of the matches of the Coca Cola Pro50 Championship at the Mutare Sports Club.After being sent in to bat, Tuskers got off to a wobbly start losing three wickets with 52 runs of the board. However a 61-run third-wicket partnership between Craig Ervine and Keith Dabengwa steadied the innings. Ervine was dismissed for 47, but Dabengwa, who remained unbeaten on 82, combined with No. 7 Keegan Meth (43*) to put on an unbroken 108-run stand that lifted Tuskers to a solid 240 for 5.In reply, the Mountaineers’ batsmen never got going as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Only Masakadza, batting at No. 8, managed to get into the twenties as they were bowled out for 109 in just under 34 overs. Chris Mpofu and Meth did the damage, picking up four wickets apiece as Tuskers registered a comfortable 131-run win.In a rain-affected match at the Masvingo Sports Club, Mashonaland Eagles beat Southern Rocks by six wickets (D/L method).The match was reduced to 40 overs after rain stopped play just 2.1 into the Rocks innings. Three of their batsmen got into the twenties while Mark Vermeulen top scored with 41, but none of them went on to make a big score as they were restricted to 186 for 8. Nathan Waller and Mark Mbofana picked up two wickets apiece.Eagles lost Sikandar Raza in the second over but Forster Mutizwa, unbeaten on 73, and Stuart Matsikenyeri (26) and Mbofana (24*) ensured there were no further alarms as Eagles reached the target with 13 balls to spare.

ScorecardAfter skittling out Services for 91 to gain a first-innings lead of 72, Vidarbha added 237 for the loss of four wickets in their second, to end the day with a lead in a commanding position.Tottering at 37 for 5 at close on day one, Services lost another wicket on 39 before their innings was propped up by Jasvir Singh and Ashish Mohanty. The two added 44 runs before Mohammad Hashim struck, dismissing Jasvir, Mohanty and Arun Sharma to bag career-best figures of 7 for 26, also the best in the Plate League so far this year.Vidarbha seized the advantage in the second innings, with Faiz Fazal and Amit Paunikar putting on 168 for the first wicket. Fazal was first to fall for 80, while debutant Paunikar went on to score 102. Left-armer Rakesh Kumar took all four wickets to fall, to go with the three he took in the first innings.Gujarat 154 and 2 for no loss trail Kerala 340 (Prem 124, Vinan Nair 61, Chandran 61*, Parmar 5-77) by 184 runs
ScorecardPreambhastn Prem’s patient 124 helped Kerala take control of the game in Surat as they piled up 340 in reply to Gujarat’s first-innings total of 154. Prem put on 82 runs for the fifth wicket with Vinan Nair, who made a breezy 61 to gain the vital first-innings lead. Kerala then suffered a mini-collapse which saw them reduced to 206 for 9.Prasanth Chandran, the No. 11, stuck it out with Prem to add 134 for the last wicket, a Kerala record for the tenth wicket, surpassing the 95 runs that Satheesan Thampuran and P Mackey added against Hyderabad in 1974-75. Mackey’s 59 was the record for a Kerala No. 11 batsman, before Chandran’s unbeaten 61 today, which came off 89 balls, including 11 boundaries.Gujarat offspinner Mohnish Parmar added three to his overnight tally of two wickets, and ended the innings with figures of 5 for 77. Gujarat’s openers then safely played out the only over they were left to negotiate.Madhya Pradesh 109 for 4 (Ojha 45, Mishra 2-17) trail Haryana 302 (Lavasa 76, Vishwanathan 63, Pandey 3-58) by 193 runs
ScorecardResuming on 268 for 7, Haryana added 34 runs on the second day before picking up four Madhya Pradesh wickets to seize the advantage in Rohtak. Sunil Viswanathan, overnight on 47, was the last man out for the hosts, finishing on 63. Madhya Pradesh offspinner Sunil Dholpure ensured Vishwanathan got little support at the other end, dismissing two lower-order batsmen.Madhya Pradesh were off to a shaky start in their innings, with Sachin Rana trapping Jalaj Saxena leg-before in the second over. Amit Mishra, the legspinner who has represented India in one-dayers, then struck with the wickets of Jatin Saxena and Devendra Bundela, before offspinner Gaurav Vashisht removed opener Naman Ojha, who made a sedate 129-ball 45. Rahul Bakshi and Brijesh Tomar ensured there was no further damage, as the visitors ended the day at 109 for 4.Goa 104 for 4 (Joglekar 24*, Ratra 29*, Sharma 3-29) trail Jammu and Kashmir 147 (Bhatt 31, Bandekar 5-49, D’Souza 3-32) by 43 runs
ScorecardGoa were poised to take the first-innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir, finishing the day at 104 for 4 in reply to the hosts’ 147 in Jammu.Saurabh Bandekar and Robin D’Souza shared the final two wickets for Goa, Bandekar finishing with his second five-for in first-class cricket. Goa were soon in trouble as Vivek Sharma grabbed three wickets to reduce them to 42 for 4. Manoj Joglekar and Ajay Ratra, the former India wicketkeeper, then put on an unbroken 62-run stand to take the visitors to a position of ascendency at stumps on day two.Assam 68 for 1 (Palash Das 35*) trail Tripura 460 (Shetty 165, Chanda 72, Tushar Saha 73*, Kushaljit Das 5-140) by 392 runs
ScorecardTripura consolidated on their overnight 285 for 4 to make 460 in the first innings in Guwahati. Nishit Shetty added only one to his 164 on day one, but Timir Chanda and No. 9 Tushar Saha scored seventies. Saha had 11 fours and a six in his 72, and added 82 runs for the final wicket with Jayanta Debnath, who made 36. Debutant Kushaljit Das took a five-for for the hosts, conceding 140 runs in his 37.1 overs.Assam then played out 30 overs before stumps, crawling to 68 for 1. Opener Palash Das remained unbeaten on 35.Railways 217 for 2 (Bangar 77*, Rawle 73*) lead Jharkhand 183 by 34 runs
ScorecardSanjay Bangar followed up his four wickets on the first day with an unbeaten 77 on the second, to give Railways a lead of 34 runs over Jharkhand, with eight wickets still remaining in their first innings.Railways lost their first two wickets for 61, but Bangar, whose knock included 13 fours, added 156 runs with Harshad Rawle to guide their team to 217 at close. Rawle was also unbeaten at stumps, having scored 73.

Malcolm Speed: ‘We will … relax some conditions for independent player and team sponsors to avoid clashes between sponsors’ © Getty Images

The ICC has announced that the sale of sponsorship rights for the eight-year period starting after the completion of the World Cup in March will start shortly. It is expected the deal will bring in more than $500 million on top of the $1.1 billion the sale of broadcast rights to ESPN-STAR Sports in December netted.In a statement, the ICC said that it would enter into negotiations with potential sponsors with a view to finalising deals by the end of June. The period up for grabs includes 18 ICC tournaments, with two World Cups and a minimum of three ICC Champions Trophy events. Also included are the first two Twenty20 World Championships, in South Africa (2007) and England (2009).”With those events and a broadcasting agreement to cover them in place, we are now in a position to go to market to obtain the best possible partners for cricket,” Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, said. “For the first time the ICC is able to offer one major event every year and the quality and variety of those events and the fact they span the globe mean they represent exceptional value for sponsors.”With growing media convergence and evolution likely over the next eight years this sponsorship will engage fans via a variety of platforms, including television, internet, mobile, radio, print and at the venues themselves.”It is widely reported that the ICC has initiated negotiations with companies – such as LG, Hero Honda, Hutch, Pepsi, Videocon and Reliance – rather than deal thorough a third party. For the period between 2004 and 2007, its sponsorship rights were being handled by Nimbus Communications.But Speed acknowledged the need to protect against ambush marketing while avoiding the clashes with players and boards which have blighted the current deal. “We will guarantee exclusivity to our global partners, at the same time, relax some conditions for independent player and team sponsors to avoid clashes between sponsors,” he insisted. “By limiting restrictions, we would offer more flexibility to sponsors.”

Stuart Robertson, the man who pioneered the concept of Twenty20 cricket, has resigned from his role as head of marketing at Warwickshire, to take up a new position as commercial director of Hampshire’s Rose Bowl plc.”I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Edgbaston and feel that I have been able to contribute significantly to this great club,” said Robertson, who joined Warwickshire from the ECB in 2003. “The time is right for me to move on and I now relish the opportunity to develop my skills at … one of the most exciting and progressive cricket grounds in the country.”Dennis Amiss, Warwickshire’s chief executive, said: “We are naturally very sorry to lose a man of Stuart’s qualities, especially after the excellent job he has done for the club over the past two-and-a-half years. Nevertheless, this is a chance for him to progress his career, and we take this opportunity of thanking him for his contribution to our successful operations in the past, and wish him every success in the future”.

Michael Clarke’s strokes are regularly compared to the style of Doug Walters© Getty Images

Doug Walters believes Michael Clarke’s brilliant run as opener should not save him from another dumping down the order. Clarke, whose high-energy batting is regularly compared to the style of Walters, made his second one-day century in last night’s win against Pakistan and has scores of 66, 97 and 103* not out since standing in for Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist.Australia dropped Clarke to No. 6 when the usual openers returned at Brisbane and Walters said he would have to accept more similar treatment. “Michael has done a fantastic job as an opener and I don’t blame him for wanting to stay there,” he said. “Gilchrist goes down to No. 7 for the Tests, so it’s probably fair enough if Michael has to do it in the one-dayers.”With Gilchrist resting, Clarke will start with Hayden against West Indies at Adelaide on Wednesday and expects to be demoted when Gilchrist returns on Sunday. Damien Martyn has also been given a week’s break and should be back for the same match against Pakistan at the WACA.Walters said he was disappointed by the SCG crowd’s booing of Hayden’s 27 off 65 balls as he took the strike from Clarke. “It’s not the way an SCG crowd should behave,” Walters, who has a stand named after him at the ground, said. “He’s obviously struggling a bit at the moment but he’ll come good, he’s a very important part of the Australian team.”Ricky Ponting felt the crowd was upset by Hayden getting singles from the final ball of the over rather than his slow scoring. “It’s disappointing when you’re trying your absolute best and hardest and you’re copping it from your home crowd,” he said. “But that happens, that’s sport.”

The Southern Electric Premier League annual meeting will be at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday 19 November 2003 at 7.30pm.Any club wishing to submit any alteration to the constitution, rules and playing conditions should do so, in writing, to Colin Savage by no later than Monday 15 September 2003.The Premier League is seeking player representation, particularly from Division 2 and 3 clubs, on its Management Committee and, again, nominations should be made by 15 September. These roles are not onerous.

In an hour-and-a-quarter of awesome power-hitting hereyesterday, Chris Gayle broke from the shackles of self-doubtthat have enmeshed him for the past five weeks and the realChris Gayle emerged.The tall, young Jamaican left-hander had been so transfixedby the rarity of failure that brought him a sequence of foursuccessive ducks he often stood at the crease with all themobility of Nelson’s Statue.For half-hour in the last and decisive qualifying roundmatch against Zimbabwe to see which would qualify forWednesday’s final of the LG Abans (the sponsors who are SriLanka’s equivalent of Courts) triangular One-Day series,there was no change.Gayle could hardly lay bat on ball and didn’t score hisfirst run until his 16th ball. Suddenly, out of a clear bluesky, a change in the bowling and a thumping off-drivenboundary led to an immediate transformation.TransformationClark Kent had become Superman and even Superman, fasterthan a flying bullet as he might be, would have been hardpressed to stop the missiles that began to fly from Gayle’sblade.Travis Friend, a lively but rookie 20-year-old, wasblistered for four fours in his first over on changing ends.Olonga, the mop-haired fast bowler who is Zimbabwe’s mostidentifiable black cricketer, went for three more throughthe off-side in the next over before the usually agilefielders had time to blink.Gary Brent’s first ball of the tournament was lashed, crossbatted, into the vacant seats at long-on for six.He had taken pain-killing injections in a shoulder to playand might have considered the sacrifice not worth it. Anover later, he was being despatched for three moreboundaries.By the time Gayle blasted off-spinner Doug Marillier toextra-cover and Olonga swooped to his left to hang on to ablistering catch, he had made 85 from 79 balls effectively63 balls, given his start with the six and 17, yes 17,fours. In other words, he collected 72 runs without needingto run.It was a reversion to the clean hitting that brought him somany runs in Zimbabwe and Kenya on the previous tour andover the past two seasons in the West Indies.Brian Lara, watching with his injured left elbow inplastercast but otherwise comfortable, would have done itwith more style. But he couldn’t have hit the ball harder.By the time he was out with the West Indies 121 for tworequiring 155, the match was all but over, and RamnareshSarwan and Ryan Hinds, the 20-year-old left-hander on debut,settled it with less spectacular methods.Given all the circumstances of a difficult tour, Gayle’sexplosive display, witnessed by no more than 1 200 or so atthe ground but appreciably more on television, was a joy.But it should be put into perspective. Only one of hisboundaries was off Heath Streak, Zimbabwe’s leading bowler,and he was not as convincing against the off-spin ofMarillier and Trevor Gripper as against the medium-pacers.Different storyWednesday night will be different but if he gets going, theSri Lankans will be in for a shock. At least the West Indieshave the chance of going home with something to show andthey did beat the hosts at the same Premadasa Stadium, venuefor the final, under lights in an earlier match.Gayle finished yesterday’s contest off with his blitz. PedroCollins and Corey Collymore, the Bajans from Boscobelle, andDarryl Brown, the Trinidadian from McBean on hisinternational debut, set it up at the start of the day.Collins had two wickets and Collymore one in their sharpopening bursts and Brown followed up with the next threefrom ten controlled and consecutive medium-paced overs.Had it not been for the tactical timidity that is typical ofthe leadership of this team, Gayle would not have had theopportunity to score half as many as he did because Zimbabweshouldn’t have managed half their total.Sent in, they were 53 for seven and in retreat when captainCarl Hooper withdrew his assault troops and let theopposition regroup.No pressureTo deep-set fields, without a soul close to the bat, theexperienced Streak gathered his singles and twos under notthe slightest pressure from the straightforward slow stuffof Hooper, Gayle and Hinds.He scored 57 from 88 balls with a swept six off Hinds’ leftarm spin and four fours with simple methods and shepherdedFriend, the No. 9, through a partnership of 60 from 17 oversand Brent, the No. 10, through a further 29.It was, to use the analogy of an altogether more seriouscontest a few thousand miles off here, as if the Americanshad halted their bombardment of Kandahar, the NorthernAlliance pulled back once they had taken Kabul and theTaliban was given breathing space to recover.It was a lack of decisiveness and toughness. This wasZimbabwe, after all, not Australia or South Africa, and acouple of young lower order Zimbabweans at that.And it was as crystal clear as the day itself that Collinsand Collymore were itching to finish it off themselves whenthey were removed after seven overs each. What it toldZimbabwe was that the West Indies expected trouble so thetwo main bowlers had to be saved when it came.Collins forced an edge from Dion Ebrahim first ball thatHooper dropped low to his right at slip and then rattledGrant Flower’s off-stump with a full length inswinger.Collymore took care of Ebrahim with a sharp breakback andCollins did Stuart Carlisle with one run across him.Collymore was running hot as he rattled Craig Wishart’shelmet with a bouncer before Hooper’s underarm hit ran himout but that was soon the end of the blitz.Brown, who took over from Collins, got rid of his earlynerves by finding Gripper’s edge with eighth ball andfollowed up with the prized wicket of Andy Flower, lbw to aperfectly pitched delivery from round the wicket, andMariller to Hooper’s sprawling catch at short extra-cover.It was time to bring back the heavy artillery while theadrenaline was still pumping through their veins. Instead,Hooper, the pacifist, elected for more conciliatory methods.It was left to Gayle to resume the barrage on thebeleaguered opposition.

Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White could leave the club for a hefty transfer fee this summer, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Gibbs-Whites excelling on loan

The 22-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements by Bruno Lage last summer, joining Sheffield United on loan in order to play regular football.

Gibbs-White is enjoying a superb spell at Bramall Lane, scoring nine goals and registering seven assists in the Championship, also being hailed as ‘outstanding’ by Barnsley manager Poya Asbaghi over the weekend.

While the youngster is expected to return to Wolves at the end of the season, it could be that a permanent exit materialises in the summer.

The Latest: Journalist backs permanent Gibbs-White exit

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke claimed that Wolves could sell Gibbs-Whites for a higher amount than previously thought, given the quality of his performances this season.

The journalist said: “The loan move has raised his price tag, considering how well he has done at Sheffield United.

“If Bruno Lage doesn’t see Morgan Gibbs-White as being a long-term part of his plans, they might be able to get a decent fee for him in the summer if they do decide to cash-in.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“388797″]

The Verdict: Keep hold of him

While it is understandable that Gibbs-White may be eyeing up regular playing time elsewhere, it would be an error for Wolves to sell him at this point in his career.

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Still only 22, the Englishman is showing what a talent he is while playing in a tough league this season. Also, with Joao Moutinho ageing and Ruben Neves’ future at Molineux potentially in doubt, opportunities could arise for the Blades loanee moving forward.

Gibbs-White’s current Wanderers deal expires in the summer of 2024, so giving him a chance to shine next season makes sense, with the opportunity to sell him in 2023 if it doesn’t work out for him in Old Gold by that point.

In other news, Tim Spiers is fuming about something Wolves did against Leeds United. Read more here.

An emotional Darren Lehmann explains his decision to retire © Getty Images

Darren Lehmann has announced his retirement from first-class cricket, citing injury concerns and “other frustrations” as the reasons he is ending his 20-year career. Lehmann will make two farewell appearances for South Australia against Western Australia at the Adelaide Oval, in an FR Cup match on Wednesday and a Pura Cup game starting on Friday.Lehmann, 37, stepped down as the Redbacks captain at the end of last summer following the side’s disappointing Pura Cup campaign that resulted in only one win. Although he was keen to stay on as a player, he struggled with a persistent Achilles tendon injury during the off-season and hamstring problems have also kept him out of two Pura Cup games and one FR Cup match already this summer.”The past 12 months have not been easy,” Lehmann said. “Ongoing concerns and conjecture about whether I could remain injury free and finish the season as well as other frustrations have contributed to my decision to retire.”It was always my plan to retire while I was still performing well at first-class level. This goal was important to me and injuries aside I think I have been true to it.”While the injuries were his primary reason for quitting the game, there had also been reports that his frosty relationship with Rod Marsh, South Australia’s high performance director, had played a part. Lehmann did little to douse that speculation while announcing his decision.”Rod, as a player, was one of the guys I loved and idolised,” Lehmann said. “His views and I differ on the way to manage cricket teams and that’s probably all I’d like to say on that one.”Lehmann’s departure brings to an end of one of the most decorated careers in Australia’s domestic history. Since making his debut for South Australia at the age of 17 in 1987-88, Lehmann has become the highest run scorer of all-time in Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup matches, with 13,468 runs at 54.52. He was also a prolific scorer at Yorkshire and in total he made 25,628 first-class runs at 57.79.Although his Test career was limited to 27 appearances, during which he made 1798 runs at 44.95, Lehmann was a goliath of the Australian domestic scene. He was named the State Player of the Year in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and was also a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2001.He had the honour of striking the winning runs in Australia’s World Cup triumph at Lord’s in 1999 and helped the side defend that title four years later. Lehmann was a key member of South Australia’s Sheffield Shield-winning side in 1995-96, having also played a part in Victoria’s title in 1990-91 during his brief stint in Melbourne.