(Credit: Imago/Getty Images)

Jack Dawson

Wed 25 March 2026 16:00, UK

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Eddie Howe may already be a dead man walking if the Public Investment Fund sells Newcastle United in the coming months.

Questions have been asked about the future of the owners in recent months after their takeover in 2021.

Now, Richard Keys has claimed that the PIF are looking to sell Newcastle for up to £1billion, ending the Saudi project.

If this goes through, it would raise further questions about Howe’s future, with new owners often having their own ideas and vision.

Below, Football Insider has explored how a takeover could affect Howe’s future in the dugout.

Eddie Howe would surely be sacked if Newcastle takeover occurs

Howe has been under serious pressure for weeks now at Newcastle.

The 2-1 defeat to Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby on the weekend has only heightened calls for the manager to be sacked, with European football now looking unlikely.

However, going into the international break, Howe remains in the dugout, with the PIF seemingly giving him time to turn things around.

Yet, even if things do improve between now and the end of the season, if new owners are brought in during the summer, it is hard to see Howe sticking around much longer.

More often than not, when new owners come in, they sack the manager to bring in their own man.

This was seen previously at St James’ Park when Steve Bruce was dismissed upon PIF’s takeover of the club.

Therefore, the writing may already be on the wall for Howe, with his sacking guaranteed.

Could Howe be sacked soon?

Football Insider exclusively revealed on Monday that Newcastle do not intend to sack Howe as it stands.

Despite the growing frustration from the supporters, the board are not planning any sort of knee-jerk reaction.

However, the bookies still consider him as one of the favourites to be dismissed next, with their form continuing to decline.

7-2 – Tonight’s 7-2 defeat for Newcastle means the last two Englishmen to manage against Barcelona at the Camp Nou have conceded seven goals, with Eddie Howe joining Gary Neville in 2016. Chastening. https://t.co/0EFJ80YTWT pic.twitter.com/ZQdcORik8X

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 18, 2026

The past few weeks have arguably been the worst of his tenure, as Newcastle were knocked out of the FA Cup and the Champions League, the latter being an embarrassing loss to Barcelona before the derby defeat.

However, it remains to be seen if Howe can turn things around or if he will force the PIF to make a decision on his future.