7 potential replacements for Steve Bruce: Who will be Newcastle’s next manager?
Yesterday the moment all Newcastle fans were all waiting for came: Steve Bruce left their club by mutual consent. Well, this was inevitable as soon as the takeover happened, and now Amanda Stavely and co. Will be working hard to get a replacement. Let’s take a look at who could take over at NUFC, the richest club in the world.
#1: Eddie Howe – The practical choice
Let’s be honest. Newcastle United are still a far cry from the best club in the world despite being the richest, and not many managers are willing to risk it all on a project which could or could not work. However, Howe has been out of work since 2020, and a return to management at Newcastle would be amazing. Howe is certainly a superb tactician, and while Newcastle fans may seem underwhelmed by the prospect of a baby-faced, recently relegated manager taking over, let me just remind all of you this man was the one to lead Bournemouth from League One obscurity to the Premier League. He might become the next Brian Clough with Newcastle if he plays this right.
#2: Zinedine Zidane – The big name manager
Zinedine Zidane may not be the most refined tactician I have seen, but he is miles ahead of Bruce. The former Real Madrid manager has become a big managerial name since he led Real to 3 CLs in a row in his first spell there, and is currently out of work after resigning yet again this summer. However, I’m not so sure he’d be tempted to manage Newcastle United just for the money, given how drastic a reform the club requires. So this one happening is quite unlikely.
#3: Conte – World class tactician
Ok this one is a long shot. Conte is a world class manager, so why would he come manage Newcastle United, you ask? Well, I’m banking on the fact that he tends to like managing the underdogs and build a project at all of his teams. Inter, Chelsea, Italy, the list goes on. All these teams were hardly the favourites for winning anything, yet he won the league at both Inter and Chelsea. Maybe he may be hesitant to manage Newcastle United given the risk, but I have a gut feeling that we may see the Italian at St.James Park soon. Just maybe.
#4:Brendan Rodgers – The rival manager
Rodgers also is a ‘project building’ manager, a manager like Conte who looks to the future while building a team to win trophies now too. However, the Irishman is very different from Conte in terms of tactics. He loves changing formations based on opponents, is slightly more attacking, and is a fan of false ‘9’s. These advanced ideas would appeal to the Newcastle fans, but the only problem is, is he interested? According to virtually every news outlet, he isn’t. Apparently, he’s holding out for the Man City job. I’m sorry Brendan, but Man City would only replace Pep with a tactical prodigy like Julian Nagelsmann, not with someone who slipped up in a title race against them in 2013/14, when their team was significantly weaker. So take your chance now, and build a winning project for years to come.
#5: Paulo Fonesca – The wildcard option
Paulo Fonesca has been widely linked with Newcastle, but I still feel he is a wildcard option. He doesn’t have experience in England, but he was a serial winner during his time at Shakhtar Donetsk. Appointing him may be a risk given his time at Roma was not so good, but Fonesca is still a young, attacking coach with a vibrant style of football. He will definitely be a solid manager to have, and Newcastle fans can get excited if he takes over.
#6: Graham Potter – The appealing option
Graham Potter is the most stylish manager in the league, with his Brighton team always playing stylish, ultra-attacking football to please the Seagull fans. The Brighton Manager has poured cold water on the move by stating links as being ‘false’ and causing undue anxiety, but I still feel he could take over if the Newcastle owners convince him on how much they want him to bring in the new era. He is the exact opposite of Steve Bruce, which is why I feel Newcastle fans would take a liking to him.
#7: Lucien Favre – The reliable option
This one makes sense. Favre is a top tier manager, and his time at Dortmund came to a sad end as his team fell apart, only for his replacement at Moechengladbach, Marco Rose, to replace him at Dortmund too. At his Dortmund team’s peak, they played free-flow, counter-attacking football with a high defensive line and ball-playing CBs. According to me, the whole system fell apart when Hakimi left, since he was a phenomenal RWB whose play was unique in Germany. As long as Favre gets his top class wing-backs, he should do a good job at Newcastle if he takes over. His style of football may be slow at times, but when his teams get going, they are unstoppable. In the end, if Favre takes over at Newcastle, you can rest assured he will do a great job.
So that’s all for this article. I have given an in-depth analysis of the 7 major options I feel could take over at St. James Park, and hopefully you relished reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. Do look out for my next article, and till then feel free to check out my older ones as well. Till next time, adios!
