Steve Bruce will be sacked as Newcastle manager within days – and pick up £8m pay-off – as new owners don’t want his presence to spoil their first game in charge… and mega-rich Saudis eye Favre, Gerrard and Rodgers among potential replacements
- Steve Bruce will be sacked as Newcastle boss this week, Sportsmail has learned
- The 60-year-old will be removed by the Magpies’ new owners for their first game
- Bruce is owed a £8million payoff fee once his deal is terminated by the club
- The Saudi-led consortium are discussing Lucien Favre as a replacement option
- Brendan Rodgers and Steven Gerrard are also being considered for the role
Steve Bruce will be sacked this week after Newcastle’s owners realised the negative impact his presence could have in their opening game against Tottenham.
Sportsmail reported last week that the 60-year-old would be leaving the club in light of the Saudi-led takeover, and that his pay-off stands at £8million. Talks will now begin over the terms of his exit.
Amanda Staveley and her advisors have a shortlist within a longer list of names identified as his replacement, but that appointment could take some time to finalise.
Steve Bruce will be sacked as Newcastle manager this week by the club’s new owners
The sacking of Bruce is the first major decision new director Amanda Staveley (left) and the new Saudi-led consortium have made
Former Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre is one of those under consideration, as well as Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers and Rangers boss Steven Gerrard.
Favre, 63, has been out of work since leaving Dortmund last December and turned down an offer from Crystal Palace in June, but it is thought he is now ready to return to management.
Former Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre is being considered as Bruce’s replacement
Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers (right) and Rangers’ Steven Gerrard are also being discussed
Assistant head coach Graeme Jones is set to be put in temporary charge for the sell-out clash with Spurs live on television. Sources say the new owners have realised that to leave Bruce in place for Sunday’s game risks spoiling what promises to be a jubilant atmosphere.
They have also spoken to several in and around the club and know that an immediate change would aid the team, who are winless and second bottom of the Premier League table. The players return to training this morning after three days off and Staveley is preparing to visit the club’s training ground for the first time this week.
Her priority, though, is identifying key appointments in positions such as chief executive and sporting director, as well as manager.
Bruce, 60, has been in charge of the Magpies since the start of the 2019-20 season
Newcastle fans were overjoyed by the club’s £305m takeover which was signed off last week
Only then can they press ahead with solid recruitment plans for the January transfer window.
And with squad places at a premium — the 25 slots are already filled — there is the distinct possibility of several players being left out for the rest of the season. That prospect could well incentivise some to up their performances before the new year.
Meanwhile, managing director Lee Charnley could stay on for slightly longer than the anticipated brief handover after meeting with the new owners on Friday. He has an in-depth knowledge of the club and, while seen by supporters as Mike Ashley’s man, is valued as a good operator.
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