“I’m sorry to say, but he can no longer work under me at Newcastle”
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“I’m sorry to say, but he can no longer work under me at Newcastle” – Eddie Howe breaks £43M forgotten Magpies star’s heart after Champions League nightmare
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has reportedly drawn the curtain on one of his most expensive and controversial signings, telling the £43 million outcast that his time on Tyneside is over.
After Newcastle’s crushing Champions League defeat earlier this week, Howe is said to have privately informed the player that he should begin searching for a new club ahead of the January transfer window.
“I’m sorry to say, but he can no longer work under me at Newcastle. It’s time for him to move on,” Howe was quoted after the UCL disappointment.
A costly mistake?
Signed with huge expectations, the £43m man was once tipped to be a game-changer for the Magpies. Instead, a mixture of injuries, poor consistency, and Howe’s tactical demands have left him frozen out of the first team.
Pundit Owen Hargreaves was blunt in his assessment on BT Sport:
“He looks like a shadow of the player Newcastle thought they were getting. Sometimes managers just lose faith, and once that happens, it’s game over.”
Fans divided
The Toon Army has taken to social media to share their feelings:
“About time! We can’t keep carrying passengers when we’re aiming for the top four,” one fan posted on X. Another added: “Sad to see it end like this. He had talent, but he never fit into Howe’s system.”
What’s next?
Finding a buyer could be tricky, with the Magpies unlikely to recover anywhere near the £43m spent. Clubs abroad, particularly in Italy and Turkey, have already been linked as possible escape routes.
For Howe, this decision signals his ruthlessness in reshaping Newcastle into genuine Champions League contenders. For the player, however, it’s a devastating blow — a big-money Premier League move that ended in heartbreak and rejection.
The January window could now be the final chapter in what many fans are calling one of Newcastle’s most disappointing transfer stories in recent years.
