It has been reported that Newcastle’s owners are considering hiring a La Liga manager to take Eddie Howe’s position.
For the first time in twenty years, Howe led Newcastle to a Champions League berth after leading the Magpies to the Carabao Cup and fourth place in the Premier League.
Their entry into the upper echelons of European football, however, was short-lived as they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Chelsea in the quarterfinals and placed last in a group that also contained AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Paris Saint-Germain. Newcastle, however, enters the New Year with a record of seven losses in eight games across all competitions due to an injury issue.
In addition, the team has dropped to ninth place in the Premier League, almost 11 points outside of the Champions League spots, after suffering four losses in their last five games. However, Howe’s job as manager of Newcastle is vulnerable, and the club’s owners are considering replacing the former Bournemouth manager with Girona manager Michel Sanchez, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.In his first season in charge, Sanchez guided Girona to promotion to La Liga, and he later guided the Catalan team to 10th place the previous season. Girona, on the other hand, has exceeded all expectations this season and is now tied with Real Madrid for first place in La Liga. Due to the team’s exceptional performance, Girona manager Michel has gained the interest of several of the major teams in Europe.
Given that Girona is controlled by the same holding company as Manchester City, Michel may make sense as a candidate for Pep Guardiola if Barcelona decides to make a bid for the former manager of Rayo Vallecano in lieu of Xavi. However, Marca asserts that the owners of Newcastle are “looking very seriously” considering giving Michel the reins.