Relegation-threatened Newcastle hires Eddie Howe as manager

NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Newcastle has appointed Eddie Howe as manager, tasked with trying to keep the relegation-threatened team in the Premier League by the new Saudi ownership. The 43-year-old Howe was in the directors’ box at Brighton on Saturday to see Newcastle draw 1-1 to sit five points from safety. There are 27 games remaining but the squad can’t be reinforced until the January transfer window. Howe replaces the fired Steve Bruce after Newcastle was rejected by Unai Emery, who opted last week to stay in charge at Villarreal. Howe has been out of management since leaving Bournemouth after being relegated in 2020.