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Paulo Fonseca, Eddie Howe and Lucien Favre - the leading contenders to take over at Newcastle

The Magpies have parted company with Steve Bruce after a dismal start to the season

Paulo Fonseca is being talked up as a potential replacement for Steve Bruce at Newcastle United. (Photo by Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Paulo Fonseca is being talked up as a potential replacement for Steve Bruce at Newcastle United. (Photo by Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Newcastle United have parted company with Steve Bruce after a dismal start to the Premier League campaign.


Saturday's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur was the first opportunity for Yasir Al-Rumayyan's, the Magpies new chairman, to take stock of the task at hand since taking over the club.


Former AS Roma manager Paulo Fonseca has emerged as the early favourite to take over at the Magpies, while Eddie Howe and Lucien Favre are also among the front runners.


Go here for the latest breaking Newcastle United updates

Newcastle's new owners have the first major decision of their new era with Graeme Jones set to take interim charge of the club.

We've taken a look at the current favourites to take over at St. James' Park and assessed their credentials.


Paulo Fonseca

Former AS Roma manager Paulo Fonseca
Former AS Roma manager Paulo Fonseca

The former AS Roma head coach is the bookmakers' favourite to take over at St. James' Park if the position were to become vacant.

The Portuguese manager boasts an impressive win rate of 52% from his time in the Italian capital, leading Roma to a fifth place finish in Serie A last year and the semi-finals of the Europa League.


Fonseca was the leading candidate to take over at Tottenham Hotspur for a period this summer, but negotiations fell through at the final hurdle.

There was plenty of speculation surrounding the collapse of the move, with some outlets suggesting the former Porto centre-back interviewed poorly.

Prior to joining Roma in 2019, Fonseca was in charge at Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk and led them to three consecutive league titles and three consecutive cup wins with a staggering win ratio of 74.%.


READ MORE: Steve Bruce sacked LIVE: All the reaction and analysis as Newcastle look for next manager

Eddie Howe

Eddie Howe

The former Bournemouth manager has long been linked with the Newcastle managerial position and it's no surprise to see his name crop up again.

Howe took over the Cherries in 2008 with the south coast club languishing in League Two.


The former Cherries defender led the club on a monumental rise up to the Premier League - with a brief stint at Burnley crammed in between.

Howe built up quite the reputation for himself with his free flowing football but was ultimately relegated with Bournemouth in 2020.

That factor is a sticking point for many Newcastle fans who are looking for a coach to guide them away from relegation this season.


Out of 545 managerial games, Howe has a decent win ratio of 41.8% and is no stranger to the Premier League.

Lucien Favre

Lucien Favre has been linked with Newcastle United.
Lucien Favre has been linked with Newcastle United.(Image: Getty Images)

Another exciting name linked with the Magpies since the completion of the takeover.


Former Borussia Dortmund manager Lucien Favre was linked with Newcastle last week and comes with an impressive resume.

Favre won the DFL Supercup during his time in Germany and has a win ratio of 61.8% but has been out of a job since December 2020.

The Swiss manager was linked with a move to Crystal Palace in the summer but negotiations broke down.


The 63-year-old has built up a reputation for dynamic, quick and attacking-minded football where ball possession and change of tempo alternate.

This style of play has attracted plaudits at every club he's managed at and would no doubt please Newcastle fans. Would he be able to steer this current crop of Newcastle players away from relegation?

Time would only tell.


READ MORE: Newcastle United news LIVE: Steve Bruce departs the Magpies by mutual consent

Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard poses with his medal during the Scottish Premiership match between Rangers and Aberdeen on May 15, 2021
Steven Gerrard poses with his medal during the Scottish Premiership match between Rangers and Aberdeen on May 15, 2021

Another up and coming manager who needs no introduction.

Steven Gerrard's Rangers side won the league last year in remarkable fashion as invincibles. The former Liverpool midfielder is adored over the Scottish border after finally ending Celtic's long standing domination in the Scottish Premiership.


Even prior to the takeover, the 41-year-old was touted to take over at St. James Park after working his way up the managerial ladder.

His current win ratio at Ibrox is a staggering 64.7% but it would be a different dynamic at Newcastle.

The Magpies are in desperate need of results to lift them away from the relegation zone, prior to an expected influx of money in January.


Gerrard has already spoken about the takeover tentatively and said it's an "exciting" time for the Geordies.

It was a risk for the Gers to appoint the former Liverpool midfielder, and it would be a similar risk for Newcastle given Gerrard's lack of experience in a relegation battle.

He's also being touted to take over at Anfield as Jurgen Klopp's successor.


Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard has been linked with Newcastle United.
Frank Lampard has been linked with Newcastle United.(Image: Getty Images )

Frank Lampard needs very little introduction for his exploits on the pitch, but the jury is still out over his managerial exploits.

The former Chelsea midfielder took guided Derby County to the Championship play-off final in his first full year in charge of the club utilising his links to Stamford Bridge and developing the likes of Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori at Pride Park.


Lampard's impressive run with the Rams saw him linked with the vacant managerial position at Stamford Bridge and the former England international took over at the club where he made his name.

The 42-year-old has a win ratio of 52.4% from his time at Stamford Bridge but was sacked midway through last season.

It's claimed the reason behind Lampard's departure was over the club's transfer policy with Lampard having requested the signings of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Declan Rice, and James Tarkowski, but the transfers were supposedly blocked by Chelsea's co-director Marina Granovskaia.

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Lampard was also linked with the vacant role at Crystal Palace this summer, but they opted to bring in former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira.

READ MORE: Steve Bruce decision is the right one - and owners are ready to make positive call nextREAD MORE: 'Thank you!' - Newcastle United fans react in unison as Steve Bruce departs
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