da bet7： The summer transfer window has given way to a greater obstacle: the 2025/26 campaign. Newcastle United have it all to do in the Premier League after away-day blues have left Eddie Howe’s side 14th as the November international break trundles along.
da casino： It was a testing summer, and no mistake. United staked their stance regarding Alexander Isak, but then Liverpool thrashed against that post throughout August, and the Sweden striker ended up completing a British-record move to last season’s deposed Carabao Cup holders.
Nick Woltemade has been in emphatic form for club and country this season. The club-record signing has smoothly replaced Isak at number nine, but too many Magpie forwards are flattering to deceive around him.
And this struggle falls onto Howe’s desk. The tactician needs to find a solution, no matter the issues across the off-season months.
Should Newcastle fail to improve, noise concerning Howe’s future will only intensify.
Why Howe's future is a hot topic
Newcastle are in a rut, but they can certainly climb out of it. Let’s not forget that United were beaten 4-2 at Brentford a week into December 2024, and that result had the Toon down in 12th, with five wins from 15.
But this doesn’t change the fact that Newcastle need to improve. PIF are lenient when it comes to the man who has given this club glory, but that will only stretch so far after much investment.
The crux of the matter centres on the away form. Newcastle have only won once on the road all term, and that was against Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League.
10
Games
7
7
Wins
1
0
Draws
3
3
Losses
3
20
Goals scored
7
9
Goals conceded
8
2.1
PPG
1.16
The thought of another coach in the dugout hardly bears thinking about, but Howe’s a pragmatic man, and he will know that he needs to find a solution. Tweaks are not enough here; Newcastle are in need of a reset.
Should that end up stretching over to the managerial berth, technical director Ross Wilson is bound to consider a Premier League rival who has been riding the crest of a wave.
Newcastle's dream Howe replacement
It’s important to stress that Newcastle are not actively looking to oust Howe from the hot seat. This is one of the greatest managers in the club’s history, and the struggles of recent months hardly negate the immortal 2024/25 campaign.
If Newcastle do need to bring someone new to St. James’ Park, they couldn’t do much better than Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, someone described as a “top five manager in the world” by one Premier League content creator.
Last week, the Mirror revealed that the Austrian coach is one of four names possibly available to PIF if they decide to commit to a mid-season reshuffle.
Glasner has achieved illustrious success with Palace, winning last season’s FA Cup and then beating Liverpool to lift the Community Shield in August. He is leading the Londoners through the Conference League campaign.
Hailed by analyst Pythagoras in Boots as being an “underappreciated” and “Champions League-level manager”, Glasner has done nothing over the past several years to suggest the contrary.
This is a shrewd and attractive tactician, whose typical 3-4-2-1 formation underscores an outside-the-box methodology that has only been on the money since he set foot onto English shores.
His slick attacking play could be exactly what Newcastle need. Moreover, this could give rise to Anthony Elanga and Anthony Gordon finding their footing once again, both wingers having toiled this term and yet to score or assist in the Premier League.
But the appointment would have the greatest effect on Woltemade, with the 23-year-old already clinical, already dangerous. Just look at Jean-Phillippe Mateta, who holds the joint-highest appearance tally at Glasner’s Palace, having scored 38 goals from 78 outings.
The Frenchman’s newfound fluency in the final third owes to the creative impetus. Indeed, Chelsea are the only side in the Premier League to have created more xG than the Selhurst Park side this season.
1. Chelsea
3rd
20.4
2. Crystal Palace
2nd
19.3
3. Man City
10th
19.0
4. Arsenal
1st
18.8
5. Man United
7th
18.2
12. Newcastle
14th
12.8
It is not unfair to surmise that a large degree of Newcastle’s issues in the Premier League centre around creativity.
Therefore, Woltemade’s emphatic start to life as the club’s central striker is made all the more impressive, and that’s without even considering the injury to fellow newbie Yoane Wissa, Prem-proven and yet to kick a ball in black and white.
Woltemade has already established his goal threat, six goals for Newcastle since completing a £69m move from Stuttgart in August. The 6 foot 6 striker has bagged four goals from three recent caps with Germany.
This is not to suggest that Howe doesn’t have the capacity to unlock the highest levels of Woltemade’s potential, but Glasner prioritises aggressive wide play that loops into the middle of the area, with a focus on much running and high intensity.
Woltemade is only completing one dribble every two Premier League fixtures, but his Sofascore heat map underscores a mobility that escapes many other centre-forwards.
But FBref shows that Woltemade ranks among the top 18% of positional peers in the division for progressive passes and the top 8% for carries made per 90, emphasising his technical skill and his willingness to move about.
In this, the German could be the perfect head of a new tactical system at Newcastle. We all hope that Howe finds a solution and Newcastle do not need to undergo any drastic transformation, but Glasner is worth his weight in gold and could be a fantastic and uplifting appointment for the Tynesiders.
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