‘I like Eddie, but…’: Paul Merson delivers brutally honest verdict on Howe at Newcastle

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Newcastle United are reportedly on the verge of appointing Eddie Howe as their new manager and Paul Merson has had his say.

The Magpies were heavily linked with Villarreal boss Unai Emery. A deal even looked imminent at one point, but the Spaniard publicly announced that he’s not interested and that he would remain at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Newcastle were hoping to have a new manager in before their game against Brighton today. There’s a decent chance that Howe’s appointment will be announced by then, but there’s no way he’ll be on the touchline.

Merson, who wrote about the game today, delivered his verdict on Howe as the next Magpies boss. His comments won’t fill Newcastle United supporters with any confidence.

Merson delivers verdict on Newcastle-bound Eddie Howe

Talking about the game this evening, Merson wrote in his column on Sportskeeda: “Newcastle are in major trouble at the moment.

“They’re going to set up defensively this weekend, but Brighton have quality all over the pitch and should be able to break them down easily.”

Newcastle don’t have a manager going into this game, and I don’t think anyone wants the job either.”

On Howe, he wrote: “Eddie Howe is evidently going to become the club’s manager this month but I don’t think that whets the appetite of the Newcastle fanbase. I like Eddie Howe as a manager, but I’m not sure he’s going to rock the boat with the players at his disposal.”

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The job at Newcastle is a very difficult one for any manager, let alone Howe. The Magpies are yet to win a game this season and although there are a few players who are very good, it has proved to be difficult to make them all perform consistently.

Howe is a brilliant manager, there’s no doubt about it. He did a phenomenal job at Bournemouth, taking them from the lower divisions to the Premier League, but his time there ended with relegation.

He has been away from management for a while now, which is not ideal at all for Newcastle at the moment. However, with all their top targets rejecting them, a manager with Premier League experience in Howe is not a bad option at all.