From Telegraph:
Newcastle United have shifted their attention to persuading Eddie Howe to become their new manager after Unai Emery rejected an offer to replace Steve Bruce.
Howe is said to have impressed during his interview at the weekend and there were those involved in the consortium who preferred him to Emery, before a vote marginally favoured the Spaniard.
Interestingly, Howe had prepared a detailed plan of what he would do if he became Newcastle’s manager, which included the areas of recruitment, tactics and coaching methods. It was said to be incredibly detailed and encouraging as it fitted in with the ideas the owners have for the first team squad.
Whether he has changed his mind about wanting the job given Emery was preferred as first choice remains to be seen, but sources have told Telegraph Sport they do not think that will be the case. Talks have already opened and Howe was assured earlier this week that they had been impressed with his pitch for the job so he is unlikely to be have been soured against the idea.
That should ensure a smooth appointment, although it is unlikely he will be in charge of the team in time to face Brighton this weekend and painful lessons have been learned by Newcastle’s new owners this week.
In an embarrassing public snub, after sources had briefed the Villareal manager would be in charge of the team against Brighton this weekend, Emery killed things with a statement which hinted at how annoyed he and his employers had been at the way things had been handled.
“No matter how much noise there was yesterday in another country,” Emery said. “Within the club [Villareal] there was transparency and loyalty with the Roig family and with my squad, which is maximum and for me is the most important thing. “Villareal CF is my home and I am 100 per cent committed.”
Telegraph Sport revealed on Tuesday that he has been identified as the first choice by the club’s new Saudi Arabian owners, fronted by the financier Amanda Staveley, but insisted there was a long way to go before a deal was concluded.
It was subsequently reported, erroneously, that Emery had effectively agreed to join Newcastle just hours before Villareal played a crucial Champions League game against Young Boys.
Although Emery confirmed there had been interest in him, he was noncommittal in public after the game, but in private he and his team were furious.
Villareal were also incensed that this had all occurred on the day of an important game and in a meeting late on Tuesday night, the two parties agreed he would remain in Spain.
Newcastle tried to revive the deal on Wednesday morning but sources told Telegraph Sport that the chances of his coming were “very slim.”
Talks with Emery’s brother Igor took place before lunchtime, when it was made clear the 50 year-old, who was celebrating his birthday, would not be accepting the offer made to him.
Search for manager threatens to become embarrassing
The public nature of the snub is a huge blow to Staveley, who was front and centre of the recruitment process.
Having done well to identify Emery as a target, to lose him in such dramatic and untimely fashion does not reflect well on anyone involved.
It is not a mortal blow and teething problems were to be expected, but Newcastle’s new board must now hope that Howe has not had a change of heart as they need a manager urgently.
Interim manager Graeme Jones does not want to lead the team for much longer and Howe would be a fine alternative given the work he did with Bournemouth.
The 43 year-old has been out of work for the last 18 months and turned down the chance to manage Celtic back in the summer.
Like Emery, he is seen as a good coach, as well as manager, who can improve results before the January transfer window opens. Newcastle have nine games to play before the end of the year and already six points adrift of safety, having not won a game since May.
