BOOKMAKERS SLASH PRICE ON NEWCASTLE UNITED RELEGATION AFTER EDDIE HOWE'S SHOCKING EXIT

Punters are sticking money on Newcastle United to be relegated after Eddie Howe’s exit.

Newcastle United are now priced as low as 12/1 to face Premier League relegation following Eddie Howe’s shock departure.

News broke earlier today that the Magpies have parted company with Howe after four-and-a-half years in charge. The bombshell announcement follows the 4-1 pre-season defeat to Bristol City last night.

However, it is understood that the loss at Ashton Gate had little reflection on the decision. Newcastle are now searching for a replacement just 24 days before the Premier League season - with Al-Ahli boss Matthias Jaissle emerging as the front-runner.

Bookmakers slash price

Bookmakers are now offering just 12/1 for the Magpies to be relegated this season. This has slashed from 16/1 last night - with Newcastle the third-most-backed team with punters after Hull City and Ipswich Town.

All bets appear to be off on the manager front - with Jaissle seemingly a shoo-in to succeed Howe. Club officials are in advanced talks with the German and he could be in the dugout for the pre-season trip to Spain next week.

Alan Shearer thanks Eddie Howe

Speaking to Betfair, Toon icon Shearer hailed Howe for delivering multiple Champions League qualifications and a Carabao Cup trophy. He said: “I'm very, very surprised with the news that Eddie Howe is leaving Newcastle. It's strange timing with three weeks to go until the new season kicks off.

“I don't know what's gone on, whether it was the end of last season, whether it was the summer, whether he feels they can't continue to sell his best players. I'm led to believe it was Eddie's decision to leave. What I would say is thank you. Thank you to Eddie for what he's given us.

“I mean, he gave me my best day as a Newcastle fan with that day at Wembley. He's given us some incredible nights in the Champions League that we'll never ever forget. He did a wonderful job for Newcastle, so it's a huge thank you to Eddie.”

- Charlie Bennett

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ALAN SHEARER SLAMS 'ROTTEN, PATHETIC' NEWCASTLE AS EDDIE HOWE'S SUNDERLAND CALLS DUG OUT

Newcastle United were beaten 1-0 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in their crunch Premier League showdown, and Alan Shearer has hammered his beloved side for their display

Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer has blasted the Magpies performance against Sunderland

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has absolutely hammered the Magpies following their defeat to arch-rivals Sunderland. The Magpies' all-time leading goalscorer said his former side were rotten, pathetic, dreadful, and almost ran out of superlatives to describe the Wear-Tyne Derby defeat.

A Nick Woltemade own goal was all that separated the two sides, but it was a poor game that lacked any attacking intent from either side.

Shearer singled out Anthony Elanga and Anthony Gordon for their poor displays and felt that Eddie Howe got his team selection wrong.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer said: "I wasn't [okay]. Newcastle were dreadful.

"They were rotten and I was really shocked at how dreadful they were because, I mean, that is pathetic in any game, let alone in a derby game.

"Seriously, you're going to play in the biggest game of the season at your rivals and you've heard all the players all week, 'We know how much it means to the fans and we're going to do this and that.' Well, lads, they did nothing. They were awful, honestly."

Newcastle United's Nick Woltemade scored the decisive goal in the wrong end against Sunderland(Image: Getty Images)

Newcastle have won just once away in the Premier League all season, and Shearer didn't hold back in his criticism of the Newcastle manager either, adding: "Eddie made some big calls team-wise, and I thought Eddie got it wrong as well.

"The players who he picked didn't perform for him. Elanga was awful. Gordon was awful. Woltemade was awful. They offered nothing in forward positions."

Shearer got fed up with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards sniggering on the podcast, as he hit out: "Stop laughing you two d********s. You pair of... I wish I could say that word I'd call you that now."

The Newcastle icon then continued: "There was no desire, there was no energy, there was nothing. You go away to Sunderland, and who aren't a great team, and after half an hour, Sunderland had about 70 per cent possession, as if.

"I was thinking, 'Am I missing something here, are we going away to Arsenal or Man City here?'

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe got some decisions wrong at the Stadium of Light(Image: PA)

"We're going away to Sunderland. Okay, they're hard to beat at home. They're really well organized and they're above us in the table but come on, they're not Barcelona or Real Madrid.

"Are we going to have a pop at them or have a go at least? There was nothing from Newcastle. It was really, really awful."

When asked by Richards if Sunderland could get a bit of credit, Shearer said: "Yeah, they deserved to win. They were up for the fight.

"They had the energy, they won every second ball. They won every challenge. Well done, yeah. Newcastle were terrible."

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ALAN SHEARER BLASTS ERLING HAALAND DECISION THA COST MAN CITY IN FA FINAL - 'NO CHANCE'

Erling Haaland started for Manchester City as they faced Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday, though the Norwegian striker came under fire from Alan Shearer

Haaland handed the ball to Omar Marmoush instead, with the January signing missing his spot-kick(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Alan Shearer slammed Erling Haaland for giving away the ball to Omar Marmoush after Manchester City were awarded a penalty in their FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. The Eagles had been leading through Eberechi Eze's brilliant counter-attacking goal

Twelve minutes before half-time though, City were handed a prime chance to equalise. Referee Stuart Attwell point to the spot after Tyrick Mitchell lunged in on Bernando Silva and brought down the City star.

Haaland initially picked the ball up, but once VAR Jarred Gillett had confirmed the decision, he passed the ball to Marmoush. The January signing aimed his penalty down to Palace keeper Dean Henderson's right hand side.

But the Englishman had guessed right and palmed the ball away with a strong right hand. He then quickly got to his feet to also save Haaland's own follow-up and maintain Palace's precious lead.

Haaland's decision to hand Marmoush the ball surprised many, with the Norwegian having scored 30 goals in all competitions this season. Some pundits, including Gary Lineker and Wayne Rooney, believed that boss Pep Guardiola ordered Haaland to give the ball away.

The striker has missed three spot-kicks this season, scoring four. Despite that patchy record, Newcastle legend Shearer blasted Haaland for so easily giving up the chance to become a hero for his side.

"That is a big decision from Erling Haaland as well, not to want that penalty. If he's fit enough he's on the pitch, he's starting the game. So it must be mentally that he's either said he doesn't want it," Shearer said in commentary for BBC Sport.

"Or Pep doesn't want him to take it. That is a big surprise to me though. Not at all [would you pass it up]. Not when you're in his position. Erling Haaland, who and what you are. He's scored 30 goals this season.

"I'm only speaking from a personal point of view but I wouldn't be prepared to give up a penalty in a cup final - no chance. Come to that I wouldn't give one up in any game, let alone a cup final."

While he was critical of Haaland, Shearer also reserved praise for Palace keeper Henderson. The England international was perhaps fortunate to stay on the pitch after an earlier decision revolving around a handball he committed.

But overlooking his fortune, Shearer was full of praise for the 28-year-old. He added: "What a save that is. He doesn't fall for the bluff beforehand. He's in control of that situation the goalkeeper.

"He guesses right and gets a big strong hand to keep that out. It really is an impressive save. Then he gets up really quickly again. A clever save it really was, quick along his line. Strong with his right arm. That is a huge save it really is. He's had an interesting 35, 37 minutes."

- Jacob Leeks

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DECLAN RICE EXPLAINS THE SUBTLE CHANGE MADE TO HIS FREE-KICK TECHNIQUE DURING ARSENAL V REAL MADRID THAT PAID OFF

Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Declan Rice’s two outstanding free-kicks stole the show as Arsenal taught Real Madrid a footballing lesson in their 3-0 victory in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final in what was arguably the greatest night the Emirates Stadium has ever witnessed.

The Arsenal midfielder, who had never scored even a single free-kick before Tuesday night managed to dispatch a brace and make even the tremendous Thibaut Courtois look powerless when the ball left his right foot twice.

In doing so, Declan Rice might have well taken a sizable step towards being deemed a Gunners legend as he produced one of the most impactful performances an Arsenal player has in the club’s rich history.

But after Arsenal thrashed Real Madrid, Rice explained the thinking behind both his free-kicks.

Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Declan Rice revealed looking down during free-kicks helped him during Arsenal vs Real Madrid

Alan Shearer raved about Rice’s two free-kicks against Real Madrid and Arsenal’s man of the moment explained that he has noticed that every time he looks at the ball before striking it in training, the result tends not to be satisfatory.

As even Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham was taken aback by Rice’s free-kicks as Arsenal took the visitors apart, the man himself also explained that when he does not look at the ball — his attempts are often far more accurate and the subtle change he made worked to a tee.

Thierry Henry asked Rice on CBS Sports “But you know what I like with the technique is you whipped it so hard early and you didn’t let your foot go, if you know what I mean, you held it.”

Rice replied: “I feel like when I practice these free-kicks, what I tend to notice is when I make the contact and I look up quick, it’s not the strike I want. When I look down on the ball and just focus on the ball and know in the spot I want to put it in, I tend to have more consistency with it and obviously, that’s a one in a, I don’t know what moment. I’ve been practicing it and it’s come off and to score two, it won’t hit me what I’ve done.”

How Kylian Mbappe reacted to Declan Rice’s second free-kick in Champions League quarter-final

Rice is well and truly a man who is dedicated to his craft — as was exemplified by his post-match assessment after Arsenal’s win against Real Madrid.

If the former West Ham United captain had not put in the hours of practice in training, his free-kicks might not have hurt Los Blancos on Tuesday.

But he did and Kylian Mbappe was caught by cameras being visibly blown away by the second free-kick in particular.

Alan Shearer lauded Rice’s all-round masterclass against Real Madrid and in every sense of the word, he put in a complete display.

Even Thierry Henry called Rice a man “possessed” and noted that he looked like a man with a point to prove.

For years, Arsenal’s mentality when the pressure is at its maximum has been questioned.

But Rice seems to be built of sterner stuff and his fearlessness in attempting both free-kicks from distance shows that this current crop of players are keen to show that they can mix it with the best of the best.

- Srinivas Sadhanand

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ARSENAL ON RED ALERT AFTER HARRY KANE 'SECURE' EXIT CLAUSE TO 'RETURN TO ENGLAND'

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane

A stunning clause in Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich contract allows the striker to ‘return to England’ for a heavily-discounted sum, with any transfer to have a knock-on effect on Arsenal’s own striker plans, according to a report.

Harry Kane has done exactly what was expected since leaving boyhood club Tottenham for Bayern Munich. The 31-year-old has scored goals for fun, with his record in Bavaria currently standing at 70 goals in 72 appearances. Kane has also laid 22 assists on for his teammates in that time.

But according to a stunning new update from BILD, there is a clause within Kane’s terms that allows the frontman to leave Bayern and move back to England.

It has long been speculated Kane may one day return to the Premier League, with Alan Shearer’s record of 260 goals in his sights.

Kane currently sits second on that list with 213 and could conceivably surpass Shearer within two seasons of Premier League play.

Per BILD, breaking Shearer’s record does appeal to Kane and accordingly, he and his team successfully added a key clause into his Bayern deal.

It’s claimed Kane can activate a clause in the January windows of 2025 and 2026 that then facilitates his move in the summer that follows.

Given the 2025 winter window has just passed without Kane triggering the clause, he will not be on the move next summer.

However, the exit mechanism remains active this time next year and if activated, Kane would then be free to leave Bayern in the summer of 2026. A transfer at that time, per BILD, will cost €65m/£54m.

That would be a sizeable sum to pay for a player who’ll be aged 32 at that time. However, Kane remains one of world football’s most productive strikers despite already being the wrong side of 30 and his game has never been based around pace.

BILD did not offer any insight into whether Kane could return to Tottenham or whether a different Premier League side would make a move.

But one club’s transfer plans who could be affected is Arsenal…

Bayern want Arsenal target as Kane replacement

Another window came and went without Arsenal signing a potent new striker. The Gunners may well overhaul Liverpool and lift their first EPL title since 2004 without one, though only time will tell in that regard.

What is clear is Arsenal did attempt to sign a striker in January, with an offer totalling £60m lodged for Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa.

Explaining Arsenal’s failed attempts to add more firepower, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano told his YouTube channel: “Probably the most asked question of the deadline day: what are Arsenal going to do?

“What we can say is Arsenal considered several options, dream options like Benjamin Sesko, almost impossible options like Alexander Isak, who were never going to leave their clubs in January.

“But Arsenal understood it was almost impossible to make it happen now, so these two names – Isak and Sesko – remain for the summer.”

On Watkins specifically, Romano added: “Arsenal tried for Watkins a few days ago, but Aston Villa were furious [about the bid arriving] before the Champions League game [vs Celtic].

“Also the transfer fee: £60m add-ons included, were not enough to convince Aston Villa.

“Unai Emery wanted the player to stay and Jhon Duran going to Al-Nassr also had an impact. For Villa, money was no longer needed.”

As mentioned, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko is one of two confirmed Arsenal targets for the summer. But per BILD’s update on Kane, Bayern consider Sesko one of two worthy replacements if Kane does depart.

The report stated: ‘Names such as Benjamin Sesko (21/RB Leipzig) or Viktor Gyokeres (26/Sporting) have been discussed internally.

‘Both would cost a high transfer fee of around 70 million euros, but would receive significantly less salary than Kane, who came to Bayern as a top star and earns an estimated 25 million euros a year.’

But as mentioned, Kane cannot leave via his exit clause in the upcoming summer after neglecting to trigger the mechanism in the winter window.

As such, the onus is on Arsenal to put a deal in place for Sesko BEFORE Bayern Munich come calling, potentially ahead of Kane’s return to England in 2026.

- Steve Pearson

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ALEXANDER ISAK MEGA DEAL THAT CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING AT NEWCASTLE UNITED AND CHELSEA REGRET

Newcastle United could do a lot worse than getting Alexander Isak to put pen to paper on a new deal

Newcastle United chiefs will not have failed to notice Erling Haaland's Manchester City mega deal as they made their way into work on Friday morning.

The fact that the Norwegian international is now tied down to a nine-and-a-half-year deal not only gives City a major lift as their title hopes fade, but also changes the potential landscape of the Premier League. City will be back next season that's a cert.

But Haaland's hopes of becoming the Premier League's greatest ever scorer appears to be there for all to see. One boffin worked out that Haaland would only need 18 goals a season to get past Alan Shearer's record of 260.

His commitment sends a big message out in the football world with Man City's status unaffected by a bad run this season but also the Premier League's title as the best league in the world still seemingly intact. Where once Serie A and La Liga were deemed the best leagues in Europe to ply your trade, the Prem has just earned another feather in its hat.

As the ink dries on Haaland's contract over at the Etihad Stadium, it will get minds-boggling at St James' Park on Isak. City can boast of being one of the best strikers in the world, but Newcastle could very easily argue the same thing with Isak.

Or at least they can say they have the most sought-after striker in the world at the moment in Isak. Day after day, Isak has been linked with Arsenal during the transfer window, but the truth is they probably can't afford him. Newcastle played down suggestions that they were in talks with Isak earlier in the season over a new deal. Back then they stated that Isak has a deal until 2028 and there was no rush to get a new deal thrashed out.

Handing Isak what would be a new improved deal though would help end any talk of a £150million January exit. Isak could rest assured that his future would be on Tyneside and what lies ahead of him could be genuinely special.

With 52 goals for Newcastle already, Isak smashed one record this week by scoring for the eighth successive game in a row in the Premier League, moving past Alan Shearer and Joe Willock in the process. After his two-goal blast against the Wolves, Isak is now within an incredible grasp of becoming Newcastle's second top all-time Premier League scorer.

As he sits on 46 goals in the Prem, he can move past Callum Wilson in second spot and attempt to get within 100 of Shearer. He needs 149 goals to better Shearer in the Premier League so has plenty of work to do and he's way off the 206 that took Big Al past Jackie Milburn back in 2006 before he bowed out.

But at 25, those are the type of feats in front of Isak. The former Borussia Dortmund striker, remarkably let go by the German giants earlier in his career, may also privately have an eye on the iconic number 9 shirt at St James' Park.

And even if he doesn't the commercial team will win because Newcastle could sell a bucket load of Isak 9 shirts as they look to improve their PSR game. Handing Isak a new deal would also show United is the place to be as they attempt to build an exciting team around the striker.

Chelsea dared to test Newcastle's resolve on Isak last June and failed. Given they are also rueful of letting Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento go for relative peanuts on the scale of the big financial picture, it feels like an exciting time to be a Newcastle fan again.

A team containing Isak, Hall, Livramento, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Anthony Gordon, Sven Botman and Sandro Tonali is exciting enough. Adding class and quality with Isak leading the line is more than enough to have the Toon Army dreaming of greatness.

Whether is ambitious statements, commercial wealth, club records, Shearer's records or the number 9 legacy, Isak can change it all on Tyneside.

- Lee Ryder, Chief Newcastle United Writer

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