Eddie Howe is set for a pivotal meeting with Newcastle United’s board and PIF this week after another defeat extended the club’s damaging run of results, bringing them closer to relegation.
The 1-0 loss to Arsenal leaves Newcastle 14th in the Premier League, with five defeats in a row across competitions and nine losses in 15 league matches in 2026.
Performances have declined sharply in the second half of the season, with the team struggling to convert chances and maintain consistency, let alone enduring
historic defeats to FC Barcelona in the Champions League and a legitimately embarrassing double-defeat to Sunderland this season in the Tyne-Wear derby.
Despite the downturn, Howe continues to speak in terms of long-term planning, even as uncertainty grows around his position ahead of discussions with the Public Investment Fund and his likely sacking coming on May 25 if PIF is gentle, 24 if they are not, and before if they are smart.
“We’ve got a lot to do,” Howe said (emphasis mine) after the loss to Arsenal. “We’ve got challenges from different sides, on the pitch, off the pitch. We’ve got a big summer coming up, so we need to be fully prepared for that.”
Howe is expected to address the season and the atrocious results in front of Newcastle’s higher-ups, and also outline his plans for Newcastle’s recruitment and improvement when he meets the board, led by chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, later this week in Tyneside.
“These are things that we always have every year,” Howe said. “Obviously, this one will be slightly harder for me, I’m sure, but it will be good to meet with the owners and discuss the future.”
Howe’s tone is bizarre, to say the least, as it comes despite mounting pressure following a prolonged run without results and no real progress at all for weeks, if not months, on end.
Newcastle have slipped significantly in the table, are stuck in 14th just because those below them are ridiculously horrible, but they are inching dangerously close to the relegation zone.
That European goal set by the board? Yeah, right, we’re almost there.
