Ciaran Morrison

Sat 18 April 2026 9:00, UK

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Newcastle United chief executive David Hopkinson has not helped ease the pressure on manager Eddie Howe lately.

That is the view of former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking to Football Insider, who says that Hopkinson is putting himself in “difficult positions.”

Hopkinson stated last year that he wanted Newcastle to be the top club in world football by 2030, with the aim of competing for the biggest trophies.

The Magpies will go trophyless this season, and have to settle for a mid-table Premier League finish, leading to increased pressure on Howe’s position.

Hopkinson said he had no stance on Howe’s future at Newcastle in March, but that the club were not looking to change managers at that time.

Expert ‘worried’ for Newcastle as transfer window looms

Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – states the whole of Newcastle is currently “unsettled.”

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks the club need to focus on stability, and planning for an “important” transfer window.

He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Since the CEO’s interview the other week, it’s caused a little bit of uncertainty now about Eddie Howe’s position.

“You are going into one of the most important transfer windows for quite a while. The team’s not had a great season overall compared to the last couple of seasons. You’ve got an unsettled manager side, and you’ve got an unsettled chief executive, the whole club, the PIF and everybody else.

“It just does not smack of a happy ship right now. A lot of it has been caused by Hopkinson’s comments about Eddie Howe. He’s saying a lot of things that can’t be backed up right now, and he’s putting himself in difficult positions.

“This is the wrong time to be doing that. It’s a time of real change in the club on the pitch. So stability off the pitch is crucial. I’m starting to get a little bit worried about where Newcastle could end up over the transfer window.”

Newcastle need to resolve futures of star players

Howe has also been under scrutiny, and had to defend his decision not to start either Nick Woltemade or Yoane Wissa against Crystal Palace last time out.

The duo were only late substitutes in the 2-1 defeat at Selhurst Park, with Howe saying he doesn’t pick players based on transfer fees.

Wyness told Football Insider that increasing doubts over the futures of players at Newcastle are adding up, and proving to be an unwelcome distraction for Howe.

Howe needs to finish the season strongly for his own future, but stars may already be looking at their next move in the transfer window.