Richard Keys insists that PIF ‘have clearly given up’ at Newcastle United, following the exit of Eddie Howe.
Howe has resigned as Newcastle boss after coming to the conclusion it was the right time to move on, with the sale of top players concerning him.
Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali have gone, while Bruno Guimaraes could also be soon out of the door at St James’ Park.
Howe delivered the EFL Cup at Newcastle and also led the Magpies back into the Champions League after a lengthy absence.
Newcastle are moving to bring in 38-year-old German boss Matthias Jaissle from Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli to replace Howe in the dugout.
For Keys, the developments at St James’ Park are proof that the Saudi wealth fund PIF have given up on Newcastle as a project.
Keys wrote on X: “Again – as I have been saying for some considerable time now – PIF have clearly given up at Newcastle.”
| Manager | Time at Club |
|---|---|
| Eddie Howe | November 2021 – July 2026 |
| Steve Bruce | July 2019 – October 2021 |
| Rafael Benítez | March 2016 – June 2019 |
| Steve McClaren | June 2015 – March 2016 |
| Alan Pardew | December 2010 – December 2014 |
In May, Keys predicted that Howe was effectively finished at Newcastle, amid the Magpies’ poor season in the Premier League.
He also claimed in January that PIF no longer needed Newcastle as a project.
Despite Keys’ view, Newcastle have already kicked off a rebuild focused on young players.
The Magpies are looking to get ahead of the curve when it comes to finding future stars, benefiting from their talents and making sure they have significant sell-on value if the time does come to cash in.
Now it appears Jaissle will have to take on the project at Newcastle and there will be pressure on the relatively inexperienced German manager to hit the ground running.
If Guimaraes does depart St James’ Park, Jaissle will have to replace him, while there are also questions about Newcastle’s attack given Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa both failed to meet expectations last season.
